Roasted Sweet Potatoes are simple, sweet, salty, and always satisfying! These roasted sweet potatoes are baked with maple syrup and bacon grease and then mixed with crispy bacon. You can make this recipe for your upcoming holiday feast or as part of a casual weeknight dinner.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Nothing quite makes my mouth water more than a classic combination of sweet and salty flavors. Every bite of this side dish features salty bacon, sweet potatoes, and just a touch of maple syrup. There’s also just enough freshly cracked black pepper in there to help balance the flavors even better! It’s like a party on your plate!
Move aside, Sweet Potato Casserole… Roasted Sweet Potatoes might just be my favorite Thanksgiving and Christmas side dish. It’s just SO easy to make and checks all of the right boxes. Savory? Check. Sweet? Check. Nutritious? Check. Filled with bacon? Of course! This well-rounded side dish usually garners more attention than just about anything else on the plate.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes with bacon and maple syrup pairs so well with just about any entrée you plate it next to. Serve it alongside roasted turkey or ham for a holiday feast or next to chicken, steak, or even fish on a casual weeknight. You’ll love that even with the salty and sweet flavors at play that are incredibly satisfying, you’re still getting plenty of nutrients from these tender roasted veggies!
Ingredient Notes:
You only need 4 ingredients with a sprinkle of salt and pepper to make this easy side dish! It’s a budget-friendly recipe that you’ll love using during the crazy holiday season.
- Sweet Potatoes – You’ll need about 3 pounds of peeled and cubed sweet potatoes.
- Bacon and Bacon Grease – use your favorite bacon for this recipe and remember to save a little bacon grease for roasting.
- Maple Syrup – For the best flavor, I recommend using pure maple syrup, not thick pancake syrup.
- Salt and Pepper – Use just a light sprinkle of flaky sea salt or coarse salt to taste. As for the black pepper, freshly cracked will always yield the best flavor.
Want to lighten this dish?
You can opt for turkey bacon for a lighter version. However, that won’t yield the same amount of grease that pork bacon will. If you use turkey bacon and it doesn’t yield any grease, supplement it with a 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Cooking Instructions:
You’ll love how quick and easy the prep for this recipe is. Just make sure your bacon is cooked to the perfect crunchy consistency and reserve that grease before you prep the rest of the ingredients. The bacon grease adds SO much flavor and really helps with the oh so tender and crispy consistency as well!
Prepare the sweet potatoes.
Peel and cube the sweet potatoes into half inch cubes. Place the cubes in a mixing bowl and toss with maple syrup, bacon grease, salt, and black pepper.
Roast the potatoes.
Spread the potatoes into an even layer on a baking sheet. Cook at 425°F for 35-45 minutes. If the potatoes are cut into smaller cubes, they should be ready around the 35 minute mark. Larger cubes will take longer to cook all the way through.
Toss and serve.
Remove the cooked sweet potatoes from the oven and transfer them to a serving bowl. Gently mix them with your cooked bacon, serve, and enjoy!
Storing and Reheating:
You can store your leftover Roasted Sweet Potatoes in an airtight food storage container in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days.
To reheat your sweet potatoes, I highly recommend that you do so on your stove-top. Preheat a medium pan over medium to medium-low heat and sauté the chilled sweet potatoes just until heated through. This will help bring back the little crispy texture on the outside and help keep bacon crunchy as well. You can use your microwave of course, but you’ll lose the desired consistency.
I don’t recommend freezing these sweet potatoes.
Serving Suggestions:
Here are just a few of my favorite entrees that pair perfectly with this sweet and salty side dish.
- Beef – Steak, Beef Tenderloin, Roast Beef, Prime Rib
- Pork – Pork Cutlets, Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
- Chicken – Spatchcock Chicken, Roast Chicken, Baked Chicken Breasts, Baked Chicken Drumsticks
Maple Bacon Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 lbs sweet potatoes
- 1 lb raw bacon
- 2 tbsp Bacon grease from cooking bacon
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper more or less to taste
Instructions
- Bacon:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F degrees and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Lay bacon slices side by side in one layer.
- Bake for 13-20 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of bacon, until fully cooked.
- Take out bacon slices onto a paper towel. SAVE about 2 tbsp. of the bacon grease.
- Potatoes:
- Set the oven temperature at 425°F.
- Peel sweet potatoes and cut them into 1/2 inch cubes. Place cut potatoes into a large mixing bowl.
- Add maple syrup, bacon grease that you saved, salt, and fresh cracked black peppercorns.
- Mix potatoes very well and spread it onto the same baking sheet where you just made bacon. (You can choose to use a separate baking sheet.)
- Bake for 35-45 minutes (depending on how thick you cut the potatoes).
- Take out of the oven and place potatoes into a serving bowl.
- Dice cooked bacon and mix it in with roasted sweet potatoes.
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in October, 2017.
The Recipe Hoarder says
Oh wow, I didn’t imagine that so something so simple could be so delicious! I though I don’t even like bacon THAT much, but with the maple syrup and the sweet potatoes added, oh my! Will make this again for the whole family on Sunday.
LyubaB says
I am so happy to hear everyone liked it!