Candied Yams

 

Ingredients for Candied Yams

I’m not one to eat candied yams, but I was taught how to make them by a true southern lady named, Miss Lola. Here is how she taught me to make them. Everyone at my table love them and ask for seconds and the recipe too. So here it goes.

Sweet potatoes: Yes, sweet potatoes, not yams. A Southern staple at many family tables, candied yams aren't made with yams, it’s made with sweet potatoes.

Butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, and heavy cream: When these ingredients are combined, they make a delicious base of the syrup. Both sugars provide a great balance of flavor and sweetness, but you could use all of one or the other type.

Cinnamon and nutmeg: These warming spices are the perfect partner to sweet potatoes. I’ve also added a pinch of allspice or cardamom over the years just to help spice things up a bit.

Ingredients

4 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-in.-thick rounds

1/2 cup salted butter

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Directions

Add potato slices to pan:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Layer sweet potato slices in a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium. Add sugars, stirring until well combined.

Stir in cream; cook, stirring often, just until mixture comes to a simmer, 7 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla extract, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg.

Combine sauce and potatoes:

Pour sugar mixture evenly over sweet potatoes, and cover with lightly greased aluminum foil.

Bake, covered, in preheated oven, about 45 minutes. Uncover and gently stir potato mixture. Bake, uncovered, until potatoes are tender, 25 to 30 more minutes. Transfer potatoes to a serving bowl with a slotted spoon; pour syrup over potatoes. Serve immediately.

Elizabeth Kilbride is a Writer and Editor with forty years of experience in writing with 12 of those years in the online content sphere. Author of 5 books and a Graduate with an Associate of Arts from Phoenix University in Business Management, then a degree. Mass Communication and Cyber Analysis from Phoenix University, then on to Walden University for her master’s in criminology with emphasis on Cybercrime and Identity Theft and is currently studying for her Ph.D. degree in Criminology. Her work portfolio includes coverage of politics, current affairs, elections, history, and true crime. Elizabeth is also a gourmet cook, life coach, and avid artist in her spare time, proficient in watercolor, acrylic, oil, pen and ink, Gouche, and pastels. As a political operative having worked on over 300 campaigns during her career, Elizabeth has turned many life events into books and movie scripts while using history to weave interesting storylines. She also runs 6 blogs that range from art to life coaching, to food, to writing, and opinion or history pieces each week.