My favorite thing to do with sweet potatoes is bake them in the oven. The insides become tender, the outsides get slightly caramelized, and whatever you put on top melts into a glorious pool of flavor that makes the potatoes even softer and more delicious.

I had a bunch of tahini and limes in the fridge so I decided to make baked sweet potatoes with maple tahini lime butter for dinner last night. The maple element only came into play after I tasted the butter and decided that it needed some sweetness. Plus, I like the way maple tastes with tahini and baked potato. It balances the savory flavors and adds some sugar. I think I speak for all of us when I say, most things could use more sugar.

I baked three small sweet potatoes yesterday but if you want to make more potatoes or larger potatoes, feel free. This recipe makes enough maple tahini lime butter for about three pounds of potatoes. Last night I only had about one and a half pounds, but that’s fine because I don’t like lots of leftovers.

Also, this dish gets a boost from more lime at the end. You can taste and see how much you’d like to add, but I think a few squirts of lime at the end is justified.

Here’s a song to get you started on your baked sweet potato with maple tahini lime butter journey.

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Maple Tahini Lime Butter

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, scrubbed
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp tahini
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
lime wedges for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Prick the sweet potatoes all over with a fork. Wrap each potato in foil, making sure to twist the ends. Place the potatoes evenly spaced apart on the baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for about an hour or until extremely tender.

In the meantime, make the maple tahini lime butter. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in a bowl using a fork, mix the butter, maple syrup, lime juice, tahini, soy sauce, and sesame oil until smooth. Add some freshly ground black pepper to taste.

As soon as the sweet potatoes come out of the oven (and you can actually touch the aluminum foil), unwrap them and slice them in half. Slather on a healthy amount of maple tahini lime butter and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Serve with additional lime. Enjoy!