Roasted Mashed Sweet Potato With Thyme And Molasses

I grew up with sweet potatoes totally “bare.” We called them Batata Mashwiya (roasted sweet potatoes.) During the cold months, street vendors lined up near the boardwalk in my hometown of Port Said, Egypt. Their carts were often topped with some make-shift tin “ovens” and sweet potatoes roasting away on open fire. Their sweet aroma filled the air so much that you couldn’t help but grab a potato, served in a wrinkled brown paper cone.

I ate my sweet potato whole–no utensils necessary. There was no special seasonings nor marshmallows on top. This is, of course, not how I would serve sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving. Still this very simple, rustic approach to sweet potatoes is what inspired today’s recipe for roasted mashed sweet potato with thyme and molasses. By the way, if you’re looking for a more savory option, check out my other mashed sweet potatoes recipe or my roasted garlic mashed potatoes. Or, for a recipe from my first cookbook that was inspired by those street vendor potatoes but with a few little embellishments of my own, check out my Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Honey Tahini and Sesame Seeds.

Best way to roast sweet potatoes whole

In my opinion, without an open fire, the best way to roast sweet potatoes whole is to wrap them each in their own foil pouch and roast them in a high temperature heated-oven for at least one hour. To achieve a bit of that rustic texture, you mash the potatoes with a masher or fork, leaving some of that caramelized skin on. A little thyme and nutmeg provide an earthy, nutty flavor to the sweet potato. And a drizzle of molasses lends a nice caramel-like sweetness without overpowering. I hope that you’ll give this Mediterranean-inspired mashed sweet potato a try!

Here is the step by step for Roasted Mashed Sweet Potato with Thyme and Molasses:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare large pieces of aluminum foil in a baking pan. Place each sweet potato in its own foil. Top with a drizzle of olive oil and salt. Fold the aluminum foil tightly sealing the sweet potatoes into their own pouches.

Roast in the 400 degrees F heated-oven for 1 hour or until very soft (if the flesh busts out of the potato skins, that is a good sign.) Remove from the oven and let cool briefly.

When the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel and discard some of the skin but not all of it. Transfer the sweet potatoes to a pot or bowl and mash with a potato masher or fork. Now add the butter, nutmeg, 1/2 the amount of thyme, and the molasses. Stir to combine.

Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with the remaining thyme, walnut halves and a drizzle of molasses. If you like, keep extra molasses and walnuts handy for individuals’ use. Enjoy!