Maple-cinnamon baked sweet potatoes: candied yams, made clean

Sweet potatoes baked whole until soft, then finished with a light drizzle of maple syrup stirred with cinnamon: this is the warm, cinnamon-laced comfort of candied yams, built from 3 honest ingredients instead of the usual butter, brown sugar, and marshmallows.

Sweet potatoes are a source of beta-carotene, the orange plant compound your body converts and uses for vision, skin, and immune health, and they carry vitamin C and fiber that supports the gut. The maple syrup here is modest, just 1/4 cup for 4 whole potatoes, so the sweetness stays light and the sweet potato itself does most of the work.

There is real comfort in this kind of cooking. You scrub a few sweet potatoes, prick them, slide them into the oven, and let the heat do almost all of it. An hour later you have a soft, sweet side that smells like the holidays, made with a little care and nothing you cannot pronounce.

Ingredients

• 4 medium sweet potatoes
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

(No AIP swaps needed; this dish is fully elimination-phase compliant as written, with no butter, brown sugar, or marshmallows.)

Method

Heat the oven to 400 F. Prick each sweet potato several times with a fork so steam can escape.

Set the sweet potatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake until fork-tender, about 45 to 60 minutes depending on size.

Stir the maple syrup and cinnamon together, then spoon the mixture over the baked sweet potatoes before serving.

Air fryer variation

Sweet potatoes do well in an air fryer. Prick them as above and air fry at about 380 to 400 F, turning once, until fork-tender, roughly 35 to 45 minutes depending on size. This time and temperature are an estimate and untested in our kitchen, so check for doneness and adjust. Top with the maple-cinnamon mixture exactly as in the oven method.

*Adapted from acleanplate.com*