Glazed Sweet Potatoes

with Yogurt and Dill

Makes 4 servings

Here’s another side dish that looks way more complicated than it actually is. I usually cook with orange sweet potatoes, which have a big flavor and caramelize easily, but this is one recipe where I prefer white- or yellow-fleshed Japanese sweet potatoes, which have a lovely chestnut flavor and a more crumbly texture when cooked. Roughly breaking the potatoes apart makes all sorts of craters and crevices that caramelize under the broiler and catch the sweet-sour glaze.

Maple-Lime Glaze

• Finely grated zest of 1 medium orange
• ½ cup fresh orange juice
• ¼ cup fresh lime juice
• ¼ cup champagne vinegar
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Bring all of the ingredients to a simmer in a small saucepan and reduce until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. The glaze can be made a day or so ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to use.

For Serving

• 1 pound sweet potatoes (preferably Japanese), 1 to 1½ inches thick
• ⅓ cup Greek yogurt
• Maple-Lime Glaze
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped dill fronds
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced mint
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeño chile (no seeds)
• Flaky sea salt

Preheat the oven to 500°F. Place the potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet and roast just until tender, 30 to 40 minutes. When cool enough to handle, break the potatoes into large pieces. Preheat the broiler. Return the potatoes to the baking sheet and broil until they start to caramelize and char in spots, 2 to 4 minutes.

Spread the yogurt on a serving platter. Scatter the potatoes on top and drizzle with the maple-lime glaze and olive oil. Scatter the dill, mint, and jalapeño over the top, sprinkle with flaky salt, and serve.

The Takeaway

I love the flavor of charred potatoes, but they’re harder to deeply caramelize than other vegetables. That’s when the broiler can be your friend. It doesn’t matter if you’re first boiling or roasting sweet potatoes; a couple of minutes under the broiler before serving will add an exciting new flavor. Take a cue from this recipe and try to give the potatoes as much texture as possible before broiling them: You can break them up into rough chunks, scratch their surface with a fork, or, in the case of mashed potatoes, shape the top into peaks and valleys with a spatula.