Pre-heat the oven to 425˚F. Rub a large baking dish with oil (or line it with parchment/foil)
and briefly set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, garlic, maple syrup, cinnamon, and cayenne until
well combined. Set aside.
Scrub the sweet potatoes and pat them dry. Now it’s time to “Hasselback” the potatoes. Place
two chopsticks (you can also use two knives or two wooden spoons) on either side of each
potato. Carefully cut crosswise slits into the potato at ¼-inch intervals, stopping before you
miss all the way through so that the slices stay connected at the base. (The chopsticks/knives
stop your blade before you slice through the potato.)
Brush the potatoes with half of the oil mixture, including the bottoms, doing your best to get
some of the oil into the slits. Arrange the potatoes in the prepared baking dish. Place 4-5 sage
leaves between the slices of each sweet potato, and season the potatoes generously with salt and
pepper.
Bake the potatoes for 40 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the oven and brush them with
the remaining oil mixture. The potatoes should have started to fan out at this point, so make
sure you get in between the slices with the oil. If your potatoes haven’t fanned, don’t worryyou
can gently nudge the layers apart with the back of a fork. Season in between the layers with
an extra pinch of salt.
Return the potatoes to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until they’re very tender and the
edges are crisp. Sprinkle each of the potatoes with Parmesan cheese (again, make sure you get
down in the slits, people), and bake for a final 5-7 minutes until the cheese is melted and
lightly browned. Serve immediately.
