Charred Sweet Potatoes with Miso Sesame Drizzle

Until very recently, miso was an ingredient that I avoided. Miso paste, similar in texture to peanut butter, is typically a cultured mixture of soybeans, a grain (like rice or barley), salt, and koji (a mold). Really? Recently I began to notice that miso, with its deep umami flavor, was being embraced by chefs everywhere and was popping up in dishes as diverse as salmon filets, corn-on-the-cob, and even as a secret ingredient in pound cake. After I made this recipe for charred sweet potatoes with a miso sesame drizzle, I enthusiastically joined the legion of miso fans.

Charred Sweet Potatoes with Miso Sesame Drizzle

This easy to prepare recipe by extraordinary mother-daughter culinary team Bonnie Stern and Anna Rupert, published in their best-selling cookbook, Don’t Worry, Just Cook, calls for white miso, the most mildly flavored of the many different kinds of miso. It has a mellow, nutty sweetness and can be found in plastic tubs in the refrigerator section of your local health food store. The miso sesame drizzle in this recipe both highlights and contrasts the caramel flavor of the roasted sweet potatoes with their charred edges and rich, sweet, maple glaze. In the inspiring words of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the “only thing we have to fear is fear itself”. It’s time to embrace miso.

Assemble your ingredients. Preheat the oven to 425 F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

I chose small to medium sized sweet potatoes for this recipe. Cut the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise and set them cut side up on the prepared baking sheet. Combine the olive oil, maple syrup, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Beat with a fork to combine the ingredients. Drizzle the sweet potatoes with the mixture. Turn the sweet potatoes cut-side down and rub all over with the maple syrup and oil mixture. Scatter the sprigs of fresh thyme over the sweet potatoes. 

Roast the sweet potatoes cut side down on the bottom rack of the oven for 25 to 40 minutes until they are very tender (they can be pierced easily with the tip of a knife) and charred in spots. 

For the miso sesame sauce, in a medium bowl whisk together the miso (middle picture) with the tehina, vinegar and ice water until smooth. Whisk in the maple syrup, sesame oil, sriracha sauce or other hot sauce, and garlic. Place the sweet potatoes cut side up on a serving platter and drizzle with the miso sesame sauce before serving.

Print Recipe

Charred Sweet Potatoes with Miso Sesame Drizzle

Vegetables and Sides

By Bonnie Stern & Anna Rupert, Don't Worry, Just Cook – Serves: 6-8

Prep Time: 20 minutes – Cooking Time: 25-40 minutes – Total Time: 45-60 minutes

The miso sesame drizzle in this recipe both highlights and contrasts the caramel flavor of the roasted sweet potatoes with their charred edges and rich, sweet, maple glaze.

Ingredients

• Sweet Potatoes
• 3 pounds sweet potatoes (small to medium sized)
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• Miso Sesame Sauce
• 1/4 cup white miso
• 1/4 cup pure tehina
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup (honey can also be used)
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sriracha sauce, or other hot sauce (optional)
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced or grated on microplane

Instructions

Sweet Potatoes:

1

Preheat the oven to 425 F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2

Cut the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise and set them cut side up on the prepared baking sheet. Combine the olive oil, maple syrup, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Beat with a fork to combine the ingredients. Drizzle the sweet potatoes with the mixture. Turn the sweet potatoes cut-side down and rub all over with the maple syrup and oil mixture. Scatter the sprigs of fresh thyme over the sweet potatoes. 

3

Roast the sweet potatoes cut side down on the bottom rack of the oven for 25 to 40 minutes until they are very tender (they can be pierced easily with the tip of a knife) and charred in spots. 

Miso Sesame Sauce

4

In a medium bowl whisk together the miso with the tehina, vinegar and ice water until smooth. Whisk in the maple syrup, sesame oil, ginger, sriracha sauce or other hot sauce, and garlic. Place the sweet potatoes cut side up on a serving platter and drizzle with the miso sesame sauce before serving.

Notes

This dish can be served warm or at room temperature. The sweet potatoes are delicious on their own even without the miso sesame sauce. Extra miso sesame sauce can be stored in the fridge and used on other roasted vegetables.