While on our honeymoon, we had the amazing luxury of having a chef come to our rented condo to cook us brunch. He was an inspirational chef- not only did he share his most incredible cooking skills with us, but also his story of being plucked from a high school dish-washing job into a world-class cooking apprenticeship. He was so grateful for the opportunity his first boss provided him; a ticket to a new world, with paths for career development and a new life trajectory. With his dedication to his career, and always taking advantage to learn from others, he has collected a wide variety of flavors & styles from all over the world. When he travels, he offers to be free-labor in local restaurants to learn from them. Amazing, right? One of the dishes he served us was a smoked paprika & maple syrup roasted salmon & topped it with a dill hollandaise. He served the salmon with steamed spinach and the most amazing sweet potatoes. He was kind of enough to share his cooking technique, which I am now sharing with you. I know he had a special touch that made them even more delicious, but they’re still so good! The outside edges of the potatoes have a bit of a crisp while the center is smooth and creamy. Absolute perfection.

Ingredients

• 2 Large Sweet Potatoes
• 1/2 Stick+ Butter
• Salt & Pepper
• Drizzle of Honey

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Peel the sweet potatoes and then chop into small cubed pieces. In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over low to medium heat. Add the sweet potatoes and let them softy sauté for about 10 minutes. Add salt & pepper. You want them to simmer but not caramelize. Once they start to cook through a bit (their color will start to change), place them in a buttered glass pyrex. Be sure to only have one layer of potatoes. Cover with tinfoil and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until they’re tender. Drizzle with a small amount of honey & mix carefully. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly – this allows the edges to harden a bit while keeping the center soft. Just before serving, place back in the oven for another 5 minutes. Serve hot.