These roasted sweet potatoes are tossed in Dijon mustard and a bit of maple syrup, then roasted with shallots and bacon. A lovely side dish for brunch, a side for dinner or just to enjoy any time!
These roasted sweet potatoes are a perfect side dish for a brunch or dinner, as it comes together quickly and easily and pairs perfectly with Easter ham or maybe Eggs Benedict. Whatever is on your menu, this sweet potato dish will brighten up the meal.
It’s also one of those dishes that is more than the sum of its parts. There’s just something about the caramelization of the sweet potatoes and onions that comes from roasting. Combine that with the kick of the mustard, the subtle thyme spice and the smokiness and crunch of the bacon and it’s a special dish.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Sweet Potatoes – Mini sweet potatoes have just started to show up at my grocery store (look for them in Canada where President’s Choice products are sold). I’m hoping they are widely available because they are fabulous! They have a thin skin, so they can be cooked (and eaten) skin-on, which is great for dishes like this to help the sweet potatoes hold their shape. If you can’t find mini sweet potatoes, simply cut up a regular sized sweet potato in to bite-sized chunks. In either case, be sure not to stir the potatoes once they have been added to the skillet. Just let them be, or you may find they will fall apart.
Dijon Mustard – regular Dijon mustard is used here, but you could also use grainy mustard.
Maple Syrup – real maple syrup is recommended, but in a pinch maple pancake syrup will bring the same flavour notes.
Shallots – regular onion is a fine substitute for the shallot.
Bacon – the bacon in this dish is optional (though it adds a nice smokiness and crunch). If you prefer to skip it to make this dish vegetarian, just omit it. Be sure to grease your skillet with a bit of olive oil instead, to prevent the potatoes sticking.
Recipe Tips
These sweet potatoes are best freshly roasted. In a pinch, you could roast ahead, then reheat loosely covered with foil in a 350F oven until re-warmed.
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Get the Recipe: Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Mustard
Ingredients
- 2 slices bacon, diced (optional)
- 1 1/2 lbs mini sweet potatoes, un-peeled, quartered (or regular sweet potato, scrubbed and unpeeled recommended, and cubed)
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium shallots, halved then sliced (about 1/4 cup) or onion
- Salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, less if using dried leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425° F. with rack in centre of oven.
- If not using bacon, simply grease your pan with some olive oil instead, so the sweet potatoes don't stick. If your skillet isn't oven-proof, you can brown the bacon on the stove-top and then transfer to any shallow oven-proof pan that has been greased with olive oil or a bit of bacon fat.
- In an oven-proof skillet (preferably cast iron), cook bacon until starting to brown. Remove bacon from skillet and set aside. Discard fat from pan, but don't wipe pan.
- Meanwhile, place cut potatoes in a large bowl and toss with olive oil. Add shallots and toss again Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper and toss to combine. In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, maple syrup and thyme leaves. Pour over potatoes and toss well to combine and evenly coat the potatoes.
- Pour potatoes in to skillet used to brown the bacon. Spread out evenly. Roast in pre-heated oven for 40 minutes. *Do not stir potatoes while cooking, as they may fall apart! Remove from oven and sprinkle reserved bacon over-top. Again, do not stir. Return to oven for an additional 5 minutes or until potatoes are soft (*Be sure to taste test for doneness, as these can look done but are still a little hard. You want them to roast to creamy softness :). Garnish with fresh thyme.
Notes
More Sweet Potato Recipes to Love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
Jennifer,
I want to call around our local markets re the mini sweets. Do they come in a bag as many of the small red or white potatoes do? If so, can you tell me the brand name, I’ll see if I can come up with these for Thanksgiving. I will do your bread stuffing too as you use a variety of herbs rather than a pre-made blend and FENNEL a great ingredient for stuffing. Thank you.
Hi Den, I buy them at Loblaw’s affiliated stores here in Canada. They are also called fingerling sweet potatoes. Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi Jennifer! I feel as though you have given me a beautiful present, and so I have to say, Thank you very very much! I often buy sweet potatoes, although I do not usually see the mini’s I do occasionally find them and I usually end up just baking them. They are so good even with just butter on them, but I always feel like I could do so much better and I know there are recipes out there where you can slice them and get all fancy but I just usually don’t have the time or desire to do too much as I am the only one to enjoy them. So this recipe solves that. There just is no excuse not to make this lovely batch and I won’t be using the bacon, but i will look forward to the beautiful flavour kick with mustard and maple syrup. My favourite things in the world! Happy spring to you and YES, enjoy the weather before those dreadful insects take over our outdoors!
So glad to hear, Carol! You can also make these with the large sweet potatoes, just dicing them up (I find leaving the skin on helps them to keep their shape and not stick). Do enjoy! Thanks :)
Love your recipes. I have an allergy to mustard …yes, the worst allergy to have! I wondered if you could recommend a substitute as this recipe looks so good!
Hi Kelly and yes, that’s a tough one to deal with (mustard hides so many places, as you no doubt know!). I’ve read that turmeric is a decent substitute. If you are a fan of horseradish, I might try a bit of that maybe mixed with some oil and herbs. Hope that helps!
SO much YUM here. Seriously, this has all my favorite ingredients – maple syrup, shallots, bacon, mustard, sweet potatoes. Going to make this ASAP!
Thanks Liz. These were delicious!
I love roasted sweet potatoes, what great flavors!
Thanks Laura. The mustard with the sweet potatoes was really nice!
Where have mini sweet potatoes been all my life? You’d think living in California I’d have seen them! This with an egg or two on top is my ideal easy supper. Beautiful photos, too, but then I always say that :)
Thanks! I am totally in love with these mini sweet potatoes, Sue. I bet they’ll catch on and start showing up everywhere soon. They’re great because you can leave the skin on (and eat it), which really helps sweet potatoes stay together. (I bet they make great fries – must try that ;)
And absolutely, with eggs, would be perfect!