Sweet potatoes can be scary. Yes, scary. I’m sure many of us have experienced those overbearingly sweet, syrup laden versions that have made us say ‘no thanks!’
My style of sweet potatoes is loaded with flavor- NOT sugar. Especially during the holiday season where many of us pack on the pounds with luscious desserts, this is a great side dish which is how candied yams ought to be served. In my opinion, anyway.
You can make this recipe using organic potatoes and opting for any other organic ingredient to your liking.
What you will need (Ingredients)
- 3 lbs of sweet potatoes or yams, scrubbed well
- 2/3 cup of organic sugar
- 3/4 cup of light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup of dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup of cinnamon
- fresh nutmeg (or a healthy sprinkling of powdered)
- 1 tbsp of vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 sticks of butter
- 1/2 tbsp of almond extract
- orange zest
- dash of vanilla rum
- large marshmallows (optional)
Preparation
Scrub your potatoes well before you begin and make sure you boil a huge pot with water. Fill the pot up only a bit more than halfway. The potatoes are heavy and thus will push the water over the top as you place them in.
I like to slice the potatoes up- cut off a thin layer on each end and then cut them into rounds. This will ensure that they cook faster. Keep the peels on to cut down on prep time. When they are fully boiled, you can pull them right off very easily.
After boiling the potatoes, cool them slightly and remove the peels. They should be soft and tender to the touch, but not mushy. If you add the potatoes sliced to the rapidly boiling water, they won’t take more than 15-17 mins to cook fully. If you’re not sure if they’re done or not, stick a fork in them. If the fork goes right through, they are perfect. If the potato falls apart, they are probably a little overcooked, but no worries we can still use them!! If the fork gives resistance, they need another few minutes.
Once all of your potatoes are peeled, put them in a shallow baking dish and get ready to season. You’re going to use all of your ingredients, starting with the sugar first and mix in as you go. Your potatoes ought to still be hot, so add the butter which will melt and mix it completely throughout the potatoes as you combine every other ingredient.
When grating in the fresh nutmeg, be generous. You want to get the top layer of the potatoes fully covered with nutmeg and then mix it thoroughly. With the orange zest, you only require about half the amount of nutmeg. Once all of your dry and wet ingredients have been added, do a final mix and add another light sprinkling of cinnamon and nutmeg on the top.
Cooking
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (218 Celsius). Cover your dish with foil and cook for 20 minutes. Then, remove the potatoes and add the marshmallows. add about 10 marshmallows and then keep the potatoes uncovered and allow them to cook another 10 minutes.
Once you remove the potatoes this time, stir the now gooey and fully melted marshmallows through and serve. You’ll be left with a flavorful, rich candied yams dish that will be sure to please for holidays or for any meal that you want to jazz up.
Bon Appeti’t
