Description
Sure, everyone knows orange-fleshed sweet potatoes aren’t really yams, but it makes for a shorter name. I’m not a huge sweet side dish person, but I make an exception for these candied yams that use lemon instead of orange juice as a sweetener.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 quarts cold water
- 3 pounds orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- Salt to taste
- Chopped pistachios, pecans, or walnuts for garnish
Instructions
- Stir salt into 2 quarts of cold water in a large pot. Transfer sweet potato pieces to the pot and place over high heat; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are not quite tender but still cooked
- 5 to 7 minutes. Use the tip of a knife to test for doneness. Drain.
- Place brown sugar
- butter
- lemon juice
- maple syrup
- ginger
- cinnamon
- cayenne
- and pinch of salt in a skillet. Place over medium-high heat
- stirring until glaze ingredients melt and start bubbling. Continue cooking
- stirring occasionally
- until mixture begins to thicken
- 4 to 6 minutes.
- Transfer drained sweet potatoes to a skillet. Increase heat to high; cook and stir until potatoes are coated with glaze and very tender
- and glaze has thickened
- 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to serving dish; garnish with chopped nuts.
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 30 mins
Servings: 8