Candied Sweet Potatoes
sweet potatoes
These deliciously sweet and lightly spiced sweet potatoes with caramelized edges are a simple yet satisfying side dish that is the perfect accompaniment to chicken, pork, turkey and beef, you name it.
There are a lot of sweet potato sides and casserole dishes out there. This simple candied version is one of my favorite ways to enjoy this vegetable. I also love them mashed and I think mashed sweet potatoes or squash casseroles like my butternut squash savoury crumble make the most perfect side dishes during the fall. I love a crunchy topping as opposed to a marshmallow one on my casseroles - how about you guys? Yes or no to marshmallow topping for your sweet potatoes?
These candied sweet potatoes are a must-have during the fall and winter months. These are quick enough to put together on a busy weeknight, yet elegant enough for company. You can even customize your sweet potatoes by adding a variety of flavors and spices to them or the syrup and a variety of toppings. My favorite thing to top these with is crispy fried sage - sage that is lightly pan fried in butter then removed and placed on a plate lined with paper towel to get crispy. I also love topping mine with lightly toasted chopped pecans that add a nice crunch to every bite.
The sauce is so wonderful in these. It thins out as it bakes due to the water content in the potatoes, but quickly thickens as it cools. These have a nice amount of syrup or sauce in them. If you would like yours sort of swimming in that fabulous sauce feel free to double it or do 1½ times the amount. I also kept the spices to a minimum. If you would like to go heavier with the spices even adding more feel free to. Some like to add some ground ginger for extra flavour and even some vanilla extract to intensify those sweet flavours. I love sweet potatoes with sage but these can be made with other herbs that you can even include in the syrup to infuse it - fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme. It’s all based on your preference. These are pretty customizable as you can see and they are also quite addictive. Try them and see for yourself - enjoy!
Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ½ cup orange juice
- 3 tbsp. butter, plus more for greasing pan
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 tbsp. bourbon (optional)
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- Pinch of nutmeg
- Salt to taste
- 5 medium sweet potatoes (approx 3 lb.)
- Crispy Sage (pan fried in butter) for garnishing (optional)
- ¼ cup pecans, lightly toasted and chopped for garnishing (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400°F and grease a medium size baking dish with butter
- Combine sugar, orange juice, butter, cinnamon stick, bourbon if using, nutmeg, and salt in a small size sauce pan and heat over medium heat. Stir to combine and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until it has reduced and thickened slightly, approx 10 minutes. Take off heat and remove and discard cinnamon stick.
- Peel and slice potatoes into ½” rounds, then layer in prepared baking dish. Pour syrup over potatoes as evenly as possible and cover dish with foil tightly.
- Bake 30 minutes, then remove foil and bake about 50-60 min more basting with sauce every 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool a few minutes before serving. Serve with sage and chopped pecans
Adapted from delish.com
