Candied Yams
Homemade Southern candied yams from scratch! So easy with fresh sweet potatoes and an irresistible buttery syrup with cinnamon and nutmeg!
Ingredients
- 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices
- ½ cup pecan halves, chopped
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9 x 13 baking dish or coat with nonstick spray.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine orange juice, brown sugar, butter, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper until butter has melted, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and rosemary.
- Place potatoes into the prepared baking dish; stir in orange juice mixture.
- Place into oven and bake, covered, for 40 minutes. Uncover; continue to bake for an additional 20 minutes, basting every 7-8 minutes until potatoes are tender and orange juice mixture is syrupy. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately, garnished with pecans, if desired.
Notes
- Use firm potatoes. When purchasing sweet potatoes, look for small to medium evenly shaped potatoes that are firm with smooth and taut skin.
- Cut in uniform size. Slice the sweet potatoes in similar size for even cooking.
- Use dark brown sugar. Dark brown sugar contains more molasses than light brown sugar, providing stronger and deeper flavors of caramel and toffee.
- Fresh herbs are best. Although you can certainly substitute dried herbs, fresh herbs are ideal here, delivering the best kind of flavor. This is also a great time to use up all the leftover herbs from your holiday turkey or leg of lamb.
- Add finishing touches. Add a little bit of orange zest, fresh herbs or chopped pecans.