I recently stumbled upon my all-time favorite restaurant dish – El Alma’s Ancho Glazed Sweet Potatoes. This recipe for Honey Chipotle Glazed Sweet Potatoes is my copycat recipe that’s sure to curb any El Alma craving!
El Alma is located on Barton Springs in the heart of downtown Austin but it’s truly a hidden gem amongst all the other Barton Springs attractions.
Besides their Ancho Glazed Sweet Potatoes, there are a few others reasons why I love El Alama.
Their food is fresh, flavorful, authentic and never greasy, cheesy or heavy. It’s apparent that El Alma cooks with only the freshest of ingredients — their salsas are made daily, the ceviche is perfectly balanced and their tacos are simple, pure and delicious. It’s definitely modern Mexican cuisine that you can feel good about eating.
El Alma also has the best rooftop patio in Austin. The view is absolutely gorgeous and spans the entire southern view of downtown Austin’s cityscape. On a warm afternoon, there’s a slight breeze on the patio that makes it enjoyable, relaxing and never too hot. It’s a place where I could sit and sip their Jack Sangria all summer long.
Their side, Ancho Glazed Sweet Potatoes, is also why I love El Alma. It is by far my favorite dish on the menu. I love these potatoes so much in fact, that I order a plate just for myself each visit and absolutely refuse to share. Though, I do warn my dinner guests that if they don’t order a plate of their own, they’ll be profusely envious and greatly regret their own meal choices for the rest of the evening. With that sell, they usually oblige and order up a plate as well!
I love El Alma’s potatoes because (well, the obvious reason is because they’re sweet potatoes, and who doesn’t love sweet potatoes) but also because they have slightly caramelized bits to them that are made sticky-sweet with El Alma’s ancho chile glaze. The glaze is a mix of spice and sweet and when cooked on the potatoes, it becomes almost the same thickness and color as a decadent balsamic glaze.
The potatoes themselves are a bit crunchy on the inside but a perfectly roasted soft on the inside. These sweet potatoes literally bring an umami of flavor to the plate — sweet, salty, spicy, tender, and caramelly delicious!
They are so good that I’ve also gotten a handful of friends obsessed with them which is why I challenged myself to remake a similar dish at home.
I created this recipe based off of the flavors and texture of El Alma’s Ancho Roasted Sweet Potatoes but made a few changes based on the availability of ingredients. Instead of Ancho Chiles, I subbed in Chipotle Chiles in Adobo sauce and used a mix of honey and brown sugar to create the caramel glaze that coats the potatoes once roasted.
Although these potatoes have a bit of sugar in them, they’re baked with only a bit of oil drizzled on before roasting. The glaze is also quick to come together and the overall dirty dishes are minimal.
As delicious as they are, these potatoes do take a little bit of time and tending to during the roasting process in order to get the caramelly-broiled bits just right, but nothing a short happy hour on your patio can’t handle.
<3M and I enjoyed these one night as a simple, healthy side to grilled salmon (chicken for him…) and for us, it was a wonderful, well-balanced meal! I’ve also indulged in these potatoes, re-heated at breakfast, with a side of scrambled eggs for a healthy balance of protein and carbs.
If you can’t make it to El Alma to enjoy the real thing, then I guarantee my Chipotle Honey Glazed Sweet Potatoe recipe will fit the bill when your craving calls!
- 2 whole chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from the chipotle chiles)
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- ½ cup vegetable broth (or water)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 large sweet potatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Preheat your oven to 350*
- Line a large baking sheet with foil and lightly grease with olive oil spray.
- To make the glaze, place all ingredients except for the sweet potatoes, ½ teaspoon of salt, honey and olive oil in a blender or food processor and blend for 30-60 seconds.
- Once blended, strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer, pressing the garlic bits and chipotle pepper seeds until all liquid is strained through, discarding the remnants of the strainer.
- Whisk the honey into the strained liquid and set aside.
- Cut your sweet potatoes into wedges a half inch wide and 4-6 inches long, depending on the length of your sweet potatoes.
- Place your sweet potato wedges in a large bowl and gently coat with the honey chipotle glaze.
- Using tongs spread the sweet potatoes out evenly on the prepared baking sheet.*
- Drizzle the sweet potatoes with 2 tablespoons of olive oil then cover the sweet potatoes with another sheet of foil and roast them in the 350* oven for 45 minutes, gently tossing at the 30-minute mark.
- After 45 minutes, uncover the potatoes and drizzle or baste with the remaining chipotle glaze.
- Increase the oven temperature to 425* and bake the potatoes for an additional 15 minutes, uncovered.
- Once the additional 15 minutes are up, turn the oven broiler to high and broil the sweet potatoes on the top rack for 5 minutes, stirring half way through until golden, caramelized bits begin to appear.
- Remove immediately from the oven, sprinkle with a half teaspoon of salt and serve.
