Baked Sweet Potatoes with Maple-Pecan-Shallot Butter

A generous knob of this mildly sweet butter turns a simple baked potato into a special side.

For the butter:

• 3-1/2 oz. (7 Tbs.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 medium shallots, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced crosswise
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted and cooled
• 1 Tbs. maple syrup
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves
• Kosher salt

For the potatoes

• 4 medium sweet potatoes of similar size (10 to 12 oz. each), scrubbed and patted dry

Make the butter:

Melt 1 Tbs. of the butter in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook until well browned and slightly crisp, about 6 minutes. Set them aside to cool.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining 6 Tbs. butter with the shallots, pecans, maple syrup, thyme, and 1/8 tsp. salt. Blend together with a spoon or fork until the ingredients are evenly incorporated. Set aside for at least 1 hour at room temperature. (If not using within a few hours, cover and refrigerate. Bring the butter to room temperature before using.)

Bake the potatoes:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 425ºF. Lay the potatoes on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and bake until the flesh is very tender when pierced with a fork, 50 minutes to 1 hour.

To serve, make a cut along the top of each potato, push on the ends to pry it partially open, and fluff the flesh with a fork. Place a dollop of the maple-pecan-shallot butter inside each potato and pass extra butter at the table, if desired.