This time of year, as the holidays approach, I start scheming up ways to add excitement to the table. These spicy Moroccan sweet potato stacks are my latest creation! Food can have such super powers to rouse the senses and heighten the fun of an occasion – the sight and aroma of a delicious beautiful dish can get everyone feeling happy – and they haven’t even tasted it yet! This sweet potato recipe is one of those dishes that both thrills the tastebuds and also turn heads.
I spend a lot of time looking at food online. Whenever I’ve seen a potato stack – and there are lots of potato stacks online – it stops me in my tracks. Finally, I had to grab a muffin tin and try this technique for myself.
I concocted a Moroccan inspired glaze, using sweet and tangy apricot preserves, lemon juice, garlic, and cayenne pepper. This zesty glaze bakes into the sweet potatoes and the result is a dish that tastes as exciting as it looks!
I thought at first that twelve muffin cups meant twelve servings, but then I served them to my family and realized that you can’t eat just one. So the recipe assumes two stacks per person.
I have so many fun ideas for holiday entertaining swirling through my brain right now. I’ve already starting developing some great appetizer recipes for New Year’s Eve. What do you think? What kinds of recipes are you looking for this season? Apps? Soups? Stews? Roasts? Cakes? Pies? Please leave a comment and let me know!
Here’s the recipe for spicy Moroccan sweet potato stacks. Hope you enjoy!
Spicy Moroccan Sweet Potato Stacks
A fun festive delicious vegetarian side dish: Sweet potato stacks with a zesty Moroccan inspired glaze.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Cuisine: Moroccan
Ingredients
- You’ll need a 12-cup muffin tin
- Cooking oil, coconut oil or non-stick cooking spray to coat the muffin tin.
- 4 large sweet potatoes – long and not too fat is best – peeled and cut crosswise into 1/8-inch slices
- Glaze:
- 1/2 cup apricot preserves
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced (2 tablespoons lemon juice – save zest for garnishing)
- 2 tablespoons sweet butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large garlic cloves, pressed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Garnish:
- Fresh ground black pepper
- A few parsley leaves, chopped
- Lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF Coat the muffin cups with oil.
- Make the Glaze: Heat apricot preserves, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, butter, olive oil, garlic, salt and cayenne pepper in a small saucepan, whisking until butter melts and the glaze starts to come to a boil.
- Stack and Bake: Put the sweet potato slices into a large bowl. Pour heated sauce on top and toss to coat. You may need to use your fingers to separate some of the slices. Make sure every slice gets coated. Arrange sweet potatoes in stacks in the cups of the muffin tin, starting with the larger slices on the bottom. The stacks can stick up about a half inch above the lip of the cup. If the slices are too big to fit, you can stack up a bunch of them on your cutting board and trim them around the edges. Once the potatoes are stacked, keep the remaining glaze – you’ll have a good amount of it in the bottom of the bowl and you’ll use it to baste the sweet potato stacks as they cook.
- Cover the muffin pan with a sheet of aluminum foil and bake in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and spoon about a tablespoon of apricot glaze over each stack. Continue to cook stacks for 25-30 minutes longer, until they’re tender and have some brown spots.
- Remove from the oven and use a spoon to scoop the stacks carefully out of the muffin cups. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste. Garnish with parsley and a lemon zest. Serve warm.
- Note: If you have extra potato slices you can stack them into greased ramekins and bake, following the same directions or you can even stack them onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. If you use the baking sheet, baste them twice to keep them moist.
Want more great sweet potato recipes? Check out this collection of Cooking Light’s Best Sweet Potato Recipes !
Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite side dishes, and I had been looking for a way to change up my favorite preparation (mashed with butter and herbs). These little stacks are excellent, especially the apricot jam.
★★★★★
I just ran across these on tasteologie, and wanted to say HI!!! It was so fun spending time with you and everyone in Idaho last autumn. I’m planning to make these yummy sweet potato stacks tonight!! They look fantastic. Hope you’re well!
Hi Susan!! So great to hear from you. I, too, enjoyed our time together in Idaho! I hope you enjoy the sweet potato stacks and I’m glad that we’re staying in touch. L
made them! fabulous! the perfect combination of beautiful and tasty.
guests were impressed!
★★★★★
Gosh another winner. And so doable too. Almost didn’t click on the post because I thought—sounds
good, but too hard. I’m glad that I didn’t listen to myself—-
I love the color of them too. Perfect for this time of year!
Thanks Carol 🙂
these look so pretty and delicious – Lisa.
Such dainty beauties!
Your creativity is delicious. These will be perfect for a dinner party!
Will be preparing these for Sunday dinner.
Need ideas for a members party 100 guests
I have 4 large chafers
Would love just one unique vegan appetizer tray
Finger foods small lucious unique morsels
Merci beaucoup
I’ve been trying to learn how to cook more moroccan food so this sounds awesome! I’ve got some sweet potatoes I need to use up so i’m pinning this for later!
It’s a fun recipe and delicious too – I hope you enjoy!
Can’t wait o try these! Perfect timing! For the first time am hosting 15 for Thanksgiving dinner and have 2 vegans, 2 vegetarians and 1 gluten free, dairy free foodie! Would love to see more recipes to happily feed al!
stunning photos! these sound SO good – I love the apricot – MUST try!
These look fantastic! I love sweet potatoes and I love apricot jam. Great Thanksgiving addition!
Thanks Phyllis!
Thanks Kristina!
I cannot wait to try these. We are a huge sweet potato family. Deb thinks these might be great for Thanksgiving. I’ll let you know how it goes!!!! Your recipes are awesome
Thanks so much Chris!:) I hope you enjoy the sweet potatoes.
Beautiful. They look like roses
These look amazing! Yum!
Yum! These look so good and are perfect for this time of year! I can’t wait to make! Thank you!!!
Thanks Jen!