Well, would you look at that. My favorite holiday is right around the corner. Time to dust off the roasting pan and sift through a barrage of sweet potato recipes to find something just a wee bit different to sidecar the ol’ bird.

Look no further, friends. Roasted Sweet Potato Salad.

This recipe was actually inspired by a side dish at one of our favorite local restaurants, Liberty Market. Their version is a cold sweet potato salad with dried cranberries and pecans, tossed with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper.

I opted for roasting the diced sweet potatoes with fresh cranberries and pecans, sprinkled with a pinch of cayenne, salt and brown sugar. The smell was… ah-ma-zing.

The finisher? Top it all off with a spicy maple dressing. Holy cannoli. Somebody stop me.

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
makes 4 – 6 servings
2 large sweet potatoes (peel and diced to bite sized chunks)
1/2 cup fresh cranberries (rinsed)
1/2 cup pecan halves (chopped)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp light brown sugar

Spicy Maple Dressing
4 tbsp pure maple syrup
2 tbsp canola oil
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium sized bowl, combine the sweet potato chunks, chopped pecans and cranberries, sprinkle with cayenne, salt and brown sugar and toss to coat then spread in a single layer on the prepared sheet pan.

Roast in the preheated oven for 20 – 25 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender and the cranberries have burst. Remove from the oven and scrape everything into a mixing bowl then set aside while you make the dressing.

To make the dressing, combine the maple syrup, canola oil, 1/8 tsp cayenne and salt in a small bowl and whisk. Drizzle the dressing over the potato, cranberry, pecan mix and toss to coat evenly.

This was phenomenal served warm, paired with Spiced Espresso Pork Tenderloin and was just as delicious the next day cold, alongside a pork sandwich.

So if you’re looking to shake things up and turn some heads at the Thanksgiving spread, definitely give this a try. It’s a pretty good alternative to a classic whipped sweet potato casserole.

Or, really raise a ruckus… make them both. Hell, that’s probably what I’ll do. You know I’m a sucker for roasted marshmallow topping, and indulgence just might be my middle name.

OMFG. SO GOOD.