Maple Cinnamon Sweet Potatoes with Pistachio Dukkah & Dates

Serves 6.

This is a sweet potato side for grown-up tastes (and an alternative to the over-sweet, marshmallow-topped variety). We use our Cinnamon Maple Sugar to complement the flavor of the potatoes and top them with crunchy dukkah and sticky dates. 

Dukkah is a nut-seed-spice condiment found on many Egyptian tables. We combined roasted, salted pistachios with our seed-filled, savory Monsieur Montreal to make a dukkah-like topping that’s also great on breads and salads.

The potatoes can be prepared ahead of time, covered, and reheated in the oven or microwave but add the toppings just before serving.

2 pounds sweet potatoes, scrubbed
4 teaspoons Cinnamon Maple Sugar
3 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon lemon juice
3–4 soft, whole dates such as Medjool, pitted and chopped  

For the dukkah:
2 tablespoons Monsieur Montreal (or Everything Rainbow)
2 tablespoons roasted, salted pistachio meats, chopped

Steam or roast the sweet potatoes until very tender. Set them aside until they are cool enough (just) to handle, then scoop the flesh into a mixing bowl and discard the skins. Mash the flesh with a fork or pastry blender — you should net about 4 cups of mash.

Add the Cinnamon Maple Sugar, butter, salt, pepper, and lemon juice to the still warm potatoes and stir to combine thoroughly. Taste and add salt or a touch more lemon juice, if needed. Transfer the mash to a casserole or serving dish.

Make the dukkah  Put the Elmendorf Everything and pistachios into a small bowl and stir them together. The dukkah can be made a couple of days ahead — store it in a tightly sealed container at room temperature.

Garnish and serve  Just before serving, mound the dates prettily on top of the potatoes and sprinkle 2 tablespoons (more if you like) of dukkah over them.