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  • Erica Peterson

Erica's Thanksgiving Recipe

Fall is one of my favorite seasons and Thanksgiving makes me think of four things: the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, football, food, and family. Growing up my grandmother would put her foot in some candied yams. In homage to my “Gam”, I am sharing an old-fashioned, soul food candied yam recipe. Not listed but my grandma’s secret ingredient is adding the juice from half an orange and slices from the other half of the orange layered in with the yams while baking. Enjoy!

Southern Candied Yams (Old Fashioned Soul Food Recipe)


EQUIPMENT

9 x 13 baking dish


INGREDIENTS

3 lbs sweet potatoes about 5 large sweet potatoes

8 tablespoons butter unsalted, one stick

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar or light brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2 teaspoons vanilla extract


INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat your oven to 375°F. Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and set it aside.


Wash, peel, and slice the sweet potatoes into ½-inch thick rounds. Place the sweet potatoes in the buttered baking dish and set them aside.


Heat the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until the butter melts. Stir in the vanilla extract and remove the pan from the heat.


Pour the butter and sugar mixture over the sweet potatoes and use a wooden spoon or your hands to stir the sweet potatoes and make sure each potato slice is coated in the syrup. Cover the pan with foil and bake the yams in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.


After 30 minutes, remove the foil from the pan, carefully spoon some of the cooking syrup over the yams, and continue cooking the yams, uncovered, for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork and the cooking liquid is syrupy.


Allow the candied yams to cool for about 10 minutes and enjoy!


NOTE: Do not cook the butter and sugar mixture to the point where the sugar dissolves. This will cause the syrup to harden like candy and you will not be able to pour it over the sweet potatoes. Only heat the butter and sugar mixture until the butter melts.


Source: Pink Owl Kitchen


Wishing you all a happy and healthy holiday.

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