Candied Yams

Ingredients

• 3 pounds sweet potatoes – peeled and sliced into 0.5-inch rounds
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter – cut into pieces
• 1.25 cups light brown sugar
• 0.5 cup water
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 0.25 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 0.5 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 9x13-inch baking dish.
2. Arrange the sliced sweet potatoes in the dish in slightly overlapping layers.
3. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar, water, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Bring to a gentle simmer, whisking until the sugar dissolves, 2–3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
4. Pour the hot syrup evenly over the sweet potatoes and toss or turn gently to coat. Cover the dish tightly with foil.
5. Bake covered for 30 minutes, until the potatoes begin to soften.
6. Uncover, baste the potatoes with the syrup, and continue baking 25–35 minutes, basting once or twice, until the potatoes are tender when pierced and the syrup is thick and glossy.
7. For deeper caramelization, broil 1–2 minutes, watching closely. Let stand 10 minutes so the syrup thickens, then spoon syrup over the potatoes before serving.