Candied Yams – So Good You’ll Forget You’re Eating Sweet Potatoes

While it’s true the “yams” used in this gorgeous candied yams recipe are really just orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, it’s also true that no one cares, “yams” sounds better, and takes less characters to share on Twitter. Like I said in the video, I only mentioned it in case “that guy” is at your Thanksgiving.

I’m not a huge sweet side dish person, but I do make an exception for these candied yams, since it’s, well, exceptional. Part of that, I believe, is using lemon instead of orange juice, since we have plenty of sweetness, and what we really need is some tartness for balance.

Speaking of sweetness, I like to use a Grade B maple syrup, since it seems to have a little deeper maple flavor; or at least that’s what Alton Brown said once, and I believed him. Having said that, any real maple syrup will be just fine.

This will be our last video before the Thanksgiving holiday, and I’ll be taking the next few days off, so just a heads-up that I won’t be around to answer questions on the blog. I’m sure you’ll be fine. Anyway, I want to wish you all a very healthy, and happy holiday, and I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 8 portions:

For the yams:

3 pounds yams, peeled, cut in 2-inch pieces,

2 quarts cold water

3 tablespoons kosher salt (or about 5 teaspoons of fine salt)

For the glaze:

4 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch cayenne

salt to taste

chopped pecans, walnuts or pistachios for garnish