eat make read

You know when you go on vacation and you’re all set to go, then you remember that last minute thing that you had to do and you say “Oh I’ll just tuck this in and get it done while I’m there”. Yeah, umm, I did that with a few things and none of them have been done, including writing about this recipe. I’m going to keep it short and simple because it’s good enough that I want to share it with you before Thanksgiving, but I’m in vacation-mode and don’t feel like doing much other than strolling and eating.

I made these for a little pre-Thanksgiving dinner and they were pretty dang simple. The orange makes them different from any candied yams I’ve ever had, but the brown sugar, pecans and cinnamon make it feel like the traditional candied yams that were always on my Thanksgiving table. The scent they make is amazing (I can still remember it weeks after making it)… I mean, orange and cinnamon are a beautiful combination, both in scent and flavor. The finished yams were soft but still in tact with crispy pecans and brown sugar goodness on top. The orange juice and delicious drippings surrounded the yams providing something to spoon over them after dishing them out. Good stuff my friends!

candied yams
serves 8-10 (the original recipe says 6-8, but we had plenty of leftovers with 5 people)
adapted from saveur

3 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2″ pieces
Salt
1⁄4 lb. butter (1 stick)
1⁄2 cup fresh orange juice
1 tbsp. freshly grated orange zest
1⁄2 cup lightly toasted chopped pecans
2⁄3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°
1
Cook sweet potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain; place in a buttered baking dish.
2
Melt butter in a medium pan; add, orange juice, orange zest, pecans, and a pinch of salt.
3
Pour butter sauce over yams; sprinkle brown sugar  and cinnamon on top.
4
Bake 30–40 minutes, stirring occasionally.