Candied Sweet Potatoes

Growing up, we always had the traditional spread for Thanksgiving; Turkey (of course), stuffing, cranberry sauce, five-cup salad, peas, mashed potatoes, all the goodies! I have a confession though.

 

My mom always made these amazing Candied Yams and I wouldn’t eat them because they were “weird potatoes” that I wasn’t familiar with. Silly girl. If I’d only known…

 

As an adult, I have been taking over more and more of the cooking duties for family gatherings, which I love. This was the next one to try, and I’m so glad I finally did. These are A-MAZ-ING! I even have my kids sold on these, and have opened them up to trying different potatoes and other veggies.

 

 

The best thing about this recipe is that you don’t have to pre-cook the yams. They soften in the sauce as it simmers on the stove top. I usually chop the yams ahead of time and keep them in water in the refrigerator until I’m ready to cook them.

 

 

Now, I’m not even going to pretend these are healthy, but sometimes you just have to ignore that and indulge because these are too good to pass up.

 

 

Candied Sweet Potatoes

 

 

6-7 medium sized yams (about 5 cups chopped)

¼ cup butter

½ cup light corn syrup

¾ cup brown sugar

¼ tsp salt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into large 1 to 1 ½ inch chunks. Store in cold water until you’re ready to use them. You can prep these as early as the day before use.

In a large saucepan or dutch oven on the stove top, melt the butter on medium heat. Add the corn syrup, brown sugar and salt. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.

Drain the sweet potatoes and pat them dry. Place into the sauce in as much a flat layer as possible. Baste them with the sauce and put the lid on the pot. Keep the pot on a very low simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove the lid and bast the potatoes again. Allow them to simmer for another 15 minutes without the lid to allow a nice glaze to form. Potatoes should be soft by this point. Serve warm. Makes about 6 servings.