Pomegranate Glazed Sweet Potatoes make the A-list for their fabulous pomegranate molasses glaze, the ease of slicing and roasting, and the finishing touch of pomegranate seeds. A beautiful and absolutely divine tasting dish.

I have never been shy about declaring my favorite dish on the Thanksgiving table: the candied sweet potatoes. No surprise this is my mom’s recipe, one that I cannot, will not, deviate from. But it’s one of the requirements of the holiday, isn’t it, getting to enjoy the same foods each year and many of them only on that day.

Now just because we have to have certain dishes (the sweet potatoes, the cranberry sauce…sweet theme, no surprise there…) doesn’t mean that new dishes are prohibited from making an appearance. Enter my Pomegranate Glazed Roasted Sweet Potatoes. Because if we’re adding on, those recipes are going to be at least some of them in the sweets column.

What I love about these sweets is how simple they are. I watched my mother for all of those years boil her huge pot of sweet potatoes, skin them, slice them, candy them with a divine concoction of buttery brown sugar, then hold in fridge ‘til day-of and bake them off. My own efforts at her recipe took a few years to get right, and still I worry every time that I’ll either under- or over-cook the potatoes during the poaching phase.

Okay, it’s all good, I love the challenge and even more, the nostalgic, delectable results. My new sweet potato recipe though: easy, easy, easy! Here’s why:

Do you need to peel sweet potatoes?

No, you sure don’t. It’s surprising because the skin seems too heavy to eat, not like regular spud skins that we make into their own glory. But know this: sweet potato skins are good to eat! And not having to peel yet another potato for Thanksgiving or any other meal is relief. Simply cut medium-sized sweet potatoes into wedges for this recipe. You’ll need a sharp knife though; these bad boys are dense!

Golden Brown Color on Roasted Sweet Potatoes comes easy.

The sugars in our sweet potatoes want to caramelize, and they do, beautifully, when roasted. Heat the sheet pan before adding the potatoes to encourage even more browning, and lay the wedges on a cut side. Once that side is golden, turn to other cut side down to brown.

Pomegranate Molasses is a glaze unto itself.

This magical elixir of pure pomegranate juice is already reduced to a thick syrup. Simply brush the sweet potatoes with pomegranate molasses toward the end of roasting, pop back in the oven for a final browning, and done.

Pomegranate Seeds are the ultimate garnish.

They glisten like little gems. You can see how to cut the pomegranate open here, or buy a cup of the seeds ready to go. The glazed roasted sweet potatoes will need to be tucked into a dish close together so the seeds stay on top and visible rather than falling down the steep slope of each side of the wedges. That’s the only trick needed to get your gorgeous on here.

Make Ahead? Sure can.

Roast the potatoes, glaze and finish roasting. Bring the potatoes to room temperature and chill them for a day or two in the fridge. Take care to give the potatoes plenty of room to hold their shape; don’t pile them up. Keeping the roasted wedges in a single layer helps; if you have room, just leave them on the sheet pan to refrigerate.

How to select sweet potatoes.

There are many varieties of sweet potatoes. The grocery store often simply has “yams” or “sweet potatoes.”

Yams are considered “dry” which means they have a thicker skin and a drier texture. Avoid for this recipe.

Look for orange or red skinned sweet potatoes that are firm, medium in size, and don’t have many blemishes.

Tips for cutting sweet potatoes.

These little guys are really hard in the center. Dense. So take care when cutting; much different than slicing Idaho or Russet potato wedges. I use my large chef’s knife that is sharpened (do that now for holiday ease!) and cut about halfway through the potato lengthwise. Then put the uncut tip on the cutting board to stabilize and catch the knife edge (rather than a hand) and push the knife down through the rest of the way.

More Pomegranate Molasses Recipes

Fattoush Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Pomegranate Marinated Flank Steak

Caprese Salad with Pomegranate and Mint

Green Beans with Pomegranate and Red Onion

Pomegranate Glazed Leg of Lamb

Cherry Salad with Parsley, Walnuts and Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Lebanese Couscous Salad with Pomegranate Dressing