These aren’t just any pan fried sweet potatoes… they are sauteed sweet potatoes tossed in honey and cinnamon. We aren’t even sure if they are a side dish or dessert!
A few weeks back I asked a couple of neighborhood friends to bring over their favorite fall dishes in anticipation of Thanksgiving. Tiff hauled over her giant cast iron skillet filled with sticky and sweet, sweet potatoes tossed with honey and cinnamon. Such a verstile dish, I wasn’t sure if they were dessert or a side.
How to Cook Sweet Potatoes on the Stove
Cast iron is perfect for this sweet side dish because it doesn’t stick and the heavy, thick bottom prevents the sugars from burning too quickly. The result is a nice caramelization vs. a bitter char. Plus, cast iron cooking is just plain cool.
The key to that beautiful, stick-free cook is making sure your cast iron pan is well seasoned. Also, never wash your cast iron with soap and water. It takes the seasoning aka “the non-stick” right away.
Now how to make these bad boys…
- Do your best to cut the potatoes roughly the same size. I made mine into cubes, but you can also do sweet potato slices. This goes for most dishes as it means that they will cook at roughly the same rate. Translation: beautiful, even color every time.
- Heat the butter in a hot skillet.
- Add the potatoes to your cast iron pan and heat over high heat to sear the outside.
- Toss with honey and seasonings and then transfer to the oven to finish it off. Since sweet potatoes aren’t very starchy, you don’t want to toss and stir them frequently or they will fall apart. Starting with a char and then baking is the best way to get a crunchy outside with a fluffy inside.
Once they are done, you can even serve your skillet sweet potatoes. Grab a mitt for the handle and a trivet and you are ready to go. Did someone say fewer dishes to wash? Don’t have to ask me twice!
Sweet Potato Side Dish
Most people think of baked sweet potatoes or sweet potato casserole. Me included! So I’ve been working on more sweet potato side dish recipes. So far we’ve got this one and…
- Potato parmesan stacks
- Twice baked sweet potatoes
- Sweet Potato Pancakes
- Sweet Potato Hash Browns
- Sweet Potato Cornbread
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Sweet Potato Soup
Even though we were serving these Cinnamon Sweet Potatoes as a side dish, they could have just as easily been a dessert, they were SO good. Everyone kept going back for more and more!
FACT: Baby sweet potato leaves and shoots are sometimes consumed instead of the actual potato!
Variations
You know me- queen of the swaps and substitutes. I never did meet a recipe I followed exactly and I don’t expect the same out of you either.
- Olive Oil for Butter– You can swap out ghee or olive oil for the butter and your recipe will turn out just fine.
- Can I use regular potatoes? You can- but the flavor balance won’t be as good. This one is best left for the sweet potato variety.
- Sugar Options– Honey is my first pick, but you can swap out equal volumes of brown sugar, agave nectar or even maple syrup if you’d prefer.
Sweet Potato Benefits
I almost forgot to mention. Sweet potatoes are great for you! Not only are they high in fiber, but they are packed with other great things like iron, calcium, Vitamins B & C and beta-carotene, an antioxidant.
One thing is for sure, if you need a winning side dish to feed friends and family, this is going to be at the top of the list in no time at all.
Did You Know SweetPotato is One Word?
Did you know that sweetpotato is actually one word? Most people still use two, so we do as well, but in 1989 this nun (not an adjective) was officially changed to one word to help standout against it’s very commonly confused cousin the yam.
And as we know, sweet potatoes are not yams! You’ve likely never even had a yam in your lifetime because they aren’t grown in the US. So bring up this little bit of trivia at your table tonight.
Check out more side dishes:
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Sweet Potato Fries
Herb Stuffing Wreath
Bloomin Onion Recipe
Pan Fried Sweet Potato Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes , peeled and cut into 1-2 inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- Dash ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Heat a large ovenproof skillet (I prefer cast iron) over medium-high heat.
- Add the sweet potatoes and butter, allow to sear on all sides until lightly brown and crust develops. Potatoes will not be fully cooked, but fairly browned.
- Toss with the honey, cinnamon, salt and pepper.
- Transfer entire skillet to the oven to finish cooking. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until you can easily pierce a sweet potato cube.
- Remove and serve hot!
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or ratings.
I made these and they were SO good! More of fall flavors, but liked them anyhow.
So good! I’ll never make sweet potatoes another way again. Might add some all spice next time though.
This recipe uses simple ingredients, yet it is so flavorful and healthy too. A great quick and easy side dish to make.
The great honey has medicinal effect along with cinnamon benefits of controlling hunger, makes whole recipe healthy and delicious 🙂 thanks for sharing.
What a fantastic combination of warm autumn flavors! Thanks for sharing this one!
I loved your sweet potato recipe so much I had to pin it in my Best Southern recipes board!! Great recipe!!!