Vanilla Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

• 10 small sweet potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups maple syrup
• 1 6-inch vanilla bean
• 1 teaspoon whole cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Preparation

1. Scrub the sweet potatoes, pierce each with a fork, and place in oven directly on the rack with the turkey (or in a preheated 350°F oven). Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour or until fork-tender. Meanwhile, combine the maple syrup, vanilla bean, and cloves in a glass measuring cup and microwave 5 minutes. Or heat the syrup, vanilla bean, and cloves in a small saucepan and simmer 5 minutes. (The syrup can be made up to 2 days ahead.) Remove the potatoes from the oven and cut each lengthwise into 4 wedges. Arrange on a serving dish, sprinkle with the salt, and pour the scented syrup (without the cloves and vanilla bean) over them.
2. Time-saver: Cooking the potatoes directly on an oven rack eliminates one more pan from the cleanup pile