Hasselback Sweet Potatoes with Lavender and Sage
The flavors in this sweet potato dish are warm and inviting. Luscious citrus butter, soft cream cheese, sweet dates, fresh, savory sage and toasted pecans surround and compliment the deliciousness of sweet potato in every bite.
Author: Inspired by Taste of Home
Ingredients
- 6 medium sweet potatoes
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 2 teaspoons grated orange peel
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
- 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 12 pitted dates, chopped
- 12 fresh sage leaves, chopped
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- Fresh sage, chopped
- 1 tsp lavender buds(optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425°. Cut off a thin slice lengthwise from bottom of each sweet potato to allow the sweet potatoes to lie flat; discard slices. Place potatoes flat side down; cut slices almost all the way into the potatoes ⅛-in. apart, leaving them intact at the bottom. Arrange sweet potatoes in a buttered or oiled 13x9-in. baking pan.
- In a small bowl, whisk together butter, brown sugar, orange juice and orange peel. Spoon half the butter mixture evenly over sweet potatoes; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Combine cream cheese, dates and sage; spread between potato slices.
- Bake, covered, until potatoes are just becoming tender, 45-50 minutes. Remove pan from oven and uncover; top with pecans, sage and ground lavender buds and spoon remaining butter mixture over potatoes. Return to oven and bake until potatoes are completely tender and topping is golden brown, 25-30 minutes longer.