Step-Ahead Sweet Potato Bake

Dinner will be served on schedule when you do most of the preparation for this lovely harvest side dish the day before. 

Ingredients

  • 6 medium sweet potatoes (3 pounds)
  • 1/2 cup (125 mL) packed brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons (1/2 ounce/15 g) butter or margarine
  • 1 teaspoon (5 mL) Cinnamon Plus® Spice Blend* or pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/4 teaspoon (1 mL) salt
  • 1   orange
  • 2 medium Granny Smith apples
  • 1/2 cup (125 mL) fresh cranberries (optional)

Directions

  1. Up to a day in advance, place potatoes in Rockrok® Dutch Oven; add enough water to cover potatoes. Bring to a boil; cover. Cook 20-25 minutes or just until fork-tender. Drain; cool. Peel; cut crosswise into 1-inch-thick slices using Crinkle Cutter. Cut large slices in half. Place in Square Baker or Small Baker; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. 

  2. Place brown sugar, butter, spice blend and salt in Large Micro-Cooker®. Zest orange to measure 1 teaspoon zest using Zester/Scorer. Juice orange to measure 2 tablespoons juice using Juicer. Add zest and juice to micro-cooker. Microwave, covered, on HIGH 1 minute. Stir; cover and refrigerate. 

  3. When ready to serve, preheat oven to 375°F. Microwave sweet potatoes in baker on MEDIUM (50%) 5 minutes; set aside. Microwave sugar mixture on HIGH 1 minute or until blended when stirred. 

  4. Cut apples into wedges with Apple Wedger. Stir into sugar mixture. Microwave, covered, 3 minutes. Pour over sweet potatoes. 

  5. Bake 15 minutes. Sprinkle with cranberries, if desired. Baste sweet potatoes and apples with sugar mixture using Baster. Continue baking 15-20 minutes or until heated. Baste before serving. 

Yield:

  • 8  servings

Nutrients per serving:

Calories 200, Total Fat 4.5 g, Saturated Fat 2.5 g, Cholesterol 10 mg, Carbohydrate 39 g, Protein 2 g, Sodium 130 mg, Fiber 3 g 

*Not available in Canada.

Cook's Tips:

If you prefer not to make this sweet potato bake ahead, you don't need to refrigerate the sweet potatoes or sugar mixture, and you can omit Step 3.

When basting sweet potatoes, remove baker to Stackable Cooling Rack. This way the oven will lose less heat. You may want to tip the baker slightly so that the sugar mixture pools in one area, making it easier to baste the potatoes. When it comes time for cleanup, the specially designed cleaning brush that comes with the baster makes washing it a breeze. 

Add warmth and charm to your harvest table with a simple homemade centerpiece. Use The Corer™ to core several large shiny apples. Place a tall, thin candle in the center of each apple then complete the arrangement with autumn leaves, flowers, gourds and bittersweet.

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