Because we eat with our eyes and noses before our tongues, sometimes taking a bit of extra care to make something beautiful improves everything on the table. Slicing sweet potatoes and arranging them in a muffin tin is easy enough. Whipping up a quick sauce of cream, cheeses, nutmeg, and herbs is, too. The rich smell of baking begins to taunt the senses into hunger… and once these beauties appear, all the senses come alive. The rosettes make a terrific starter, served with a glass of dry, mineral-inflected rosé.

Sweet potato rosettes make a striking starter for a holiday dinner or an elegant side dish for a special occasion. Created with support from Buy Fresh Buy Local Western PA, this recipe celebrates how beautiful a humble root vegetable can be.

How Do You Make Sweet Potato Rosettes?

Start with the sauce. In a saucepan, combine heavy whipping cream, grated Parmesan, soft goat cheese, salt, pepper, ground nutmeg, and minced fresh rosemary and thyme. Warm the mixture over low heat, stirring, until the cheese melts into a smooth sauce. Keep the heat gentle so the cream doesn’t boil. Set it aside.

Next, peel three large sweet potatoes and slice them ⅛ inch thick. Heavily grease a muffin or cupcake pan. To shape each rosette, overlap the slices in a spiral around the outside of a muffin cup, then work inward with smaller, tighter slices, like petals, until a rose shape begins to form.

Pour the cheese sauce over each rosette and bake at 350°F for 20 to 30 minutes, until the edges are browned and the sweet potato slices are tender. Let the rosettes rest for a few minutes, run a thin knife around the edges, and lift them out.

Do You Need a Mandoline to Slice Sweet Potatoes Thin?

A mandoline is the easiest way to get even ⅛-inch slices, and evenness matters here: uniform slices cook at the same rate and bend into petals without cracking. Always use the hand guard or a cut-resistant glove. Without a mandoline, a sharp chef’s knife works; halve each sweet potato lengthwise first so it sits flat and steady on the cutting board. If your slices feel too stiff to bend, microwave them for 30 to 60 seconds to soften them slightly before shaping.

Can I Make Sweet Potato Rosettes Without a Muffin Tin?

Yes. Layer the sweet potato slices in a small pie or cake pan, overlapping them in concentric circles to create one large rose, and pour the cheese sauce over the top. Bake as directed, but expect a larger pan to take longer. Check regularly, and pull it from the oven once the top is golden brown and the potatoes are tender all the way through.

Tips for Success

Grease generously. The cheese sauce can stick, so coat each muffin cup thoroughly with butter or cooking spray.

Protect your oven. Set the muffin tin on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any cream that bubbles over.

Test for tenderness. Slide a paring knife into the center of a rosette. If it meets resistance after 30 minutes, cover the tin loosely with foil and bake 5 to 10 minutes more. Thicker slices are the usual culprit.

Let them rest. A few minutes out of the oven helps the sauce set, so the rosettes hold their shape when you unmold them.

Choose slender sweet potatoes. Narrow potatoes give smaller slices that form tighter, prettier roses.

Can I Make These Sweet Potato Rosettes Ahead of Time?

Make the cheese sauce up to two days ahead and refrigerate. Slice the sweet potatoes up to a day ahead and store them in cold water, then pat them very dry before shaping. Assemble and bake just before serving, or bake the rosettes ahead and reheat them at 350°F for about 10 minutes.

What Dietary Swaps Can You Make for This Recipe?

Dairy-free: Replace the heavy cream with full-fat canned coconut milk or an unsweetened plant-based cooking cream. Use a dairy-free Parmesan-style cheese and a plant-based cream cheese or goat cheese alternative, and add a tablespoon of nutritional yeast for extra savory depth.

What Can I Serve With Sweet Potato Rosettes?

As a side, the rosettes pair beautifully with roast turkey, beef tenderloin, roast chicken, or pork loin, along with a simple green salad.

For another muffin-tin favorite, try Chef Jackie Page’s Sweet Potato Stacks. Anna’s crispy Sweet Potato and Corn Fritters and Veda Sankaran’s Smashed Japanese Sweet Potatoes show off the same vegetable in completely different ways.

Bistro To Go’s Bistro Pecan Sweet Potato Casserole is a holiday classic. 

Planning a party menu? Add our Lamb Loin with Green Chile Harissa, browse our Thanksgiving Finger Foods, and pour something from our Thanksgiving Drinks to Inspire Gratitude This Year.

About the Recipe Author 

Anna Franklin is TABLE Magazine‘s food stylist and recipe developer. A Pittsburgh native and graduate of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Academy of Culinary Arts, she spent years in restaurant kitchens and photo studios before turning to food styling. She is also the founder of Bazaaa Sauce, a Pittsburgh hot sauce microbrand. Read more of her recipes at TABLE.

About the Photographer

Dave Bryce is TABLE Magazine‘s principal photographer. Known for images that explore depth and dimension through space and light, he is also a commercial and editorial food photographer who works closely with chefs and food stylists. See more of his work in TABLE Magazine.

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