Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Use a fork to poke holes in the sweet potatoes then wrap each one in foil. Place on a baking sheet and in the oven for 35-40 minutes, until sweet potatoes are soft. Remove from foil and let cool slightly.
Place a piece of parchment paper on the baking sheet then cut each sweet potato in half and on top of the parchment paper. Using a potato masher, smash each sweet potato half to flatten out.
Whisk together ghee, maple syrup, pecans, thyme, and cayenne pepper. Using a basting brush, brush each smashed sweet potato with the mixture then using a spoon to scoop the pecans evenly on top of all the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle coarse salt on top of each.
Place back in the oven to cook for 15-20 minutes, until the sweet potatoes begin to brown and crisp on top.