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Candied Yams

These Candied Yams (Candied Sweet Potatoes) will be your new favorite way to devour sweet potatoes!  This recipe is warmly-spiced, caramelized on the outside, luxuriously creamy, melt-in your mouth on the inside, drenched in a buttery, brown sugar maple syrup spiked with cinnamon, ginger, orange zest (and my secret ingredient!), all topped with crunchy pecans.  Best of all, these Candied Sweet Potatoes aren't too sweet, easy to make and reheat beautifully for all your company and holidays!  
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

YAMS

  • 3 ½ lbs garnet yams (sweet potatoes), peeled

Syrup

ADD LAST

  • 1 teaspoon orange zest
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup chopped pecans (optional, recommended)
  • chopped fresh rosemary for garnish

Instructions

  • Preheatoven to 375°F.  Grease a 9x13 baking dish (or 3 quart dish) lightly with cooking spray.
  • Square the ends of the potatoes (discard very tapered ends) and slice the potatoes into ½-inch-thick rounds; transfer to the prepared baking dish.
  • Whisk the cornstarch and orange juice together in a small bowl until completely dissolved.  Add to a small saucepan followed by all of the syrup ingredients (up to the "Add Later"). 
  • Cook over medium heat until the butter is melted, then bring to a simmer for 1 minute, stirring often.  Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract and orange zest.
  • Pour sauce over the potatoes and stir until evenly coated.  Arrange the potatoes in two even layers.
  • Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes. Uncover, stir and continue to cook uncovered for 30 minutes or until fork tender.  Sprinkle with pecans and bake an additional 10 minutes, uncovered, or until extremely tender. 
  • Let cool for 10 minutes; the sauce will thicken a bit as it cools.  Optional: If you would like a thicker sauce, transfer just the sauce to a saucepan and simmer for a couple minutes to thicken (a turkey baster easily removes the sauce).
  • Sprinkle with fresh rosemary and serve warm.

Video

Notes

  • Use similar sized yams:  Look for medium sweet potatoes of a similar width. Avoid sweet potatoes that are very wide or your slices will be large and won't bake as evenly. 
  • Apricot preserves: This ingredient makes the dish, please don't skip! It adds a refreshing multi-dimensional sweetness, otherwise the sauce is too one note molasses tasting.  If you can't find apricot, try apricot-pineapple!
  • Prep ahead:  This recipe is best fresh from the oven. However, you can save time by preparing all of the ingredients beforehand. Slice the potatoes and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. You can also chop the rosemary ahead of time, zest and juice the orange, and measure out the spices if desired. You can go one step further and make the syrup, refrigerate, then reheat until pourable before using.  
  • Storage:  Cover and store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days.  They are delicious in salads!