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Sides · American-Southern

Candied Yams

Sweet potatoes simmered in a brown-sugar butter syrup, all on the stovetop.

Hands-on
30 min
Hands-off
20 min
Oven preheat
10 min
Total
50 min
Makes
8 servings
Serves
8

Oven 180 °C · 160 °C fan (350 °F)

  • easy
  • vegetarian
  • gluten-free
  • thanksgiving
  • holiday
  • southern
  • stovetop

Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means

Illustration of Candied Yams
Amount
Units
Oven

Ingredients

You need: large Dutch oven or heavy pot with lid · small bowl · whisk · large spoon · small knife · baking sheet · serving platter · oven mitts

Contains: milk · tree nuts

Method

  1. Cut even pieces

    Cut the 1.8 kg (4 lb) sweet potatoes crosswise into 2.5 cm (1 in) thick rounds. Halve or quarter any extra-large rounds so all the pieces are about the same size.

  2. Make the sugar paste

    Melt the 85 g (6 tbsp) butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir together both sugars, the spice and ½ tsp salt, add them to the pot and whisk into a paste.

    Ready when: The butter is completely melted and the sugar has turned into a thick, glossy paste.

  3. Coat the potatoes

    Add the sweet potatoes and spoon the paste over them until every piece is coated.

  4. Cook covered

    Cover the pot and cook for 25-30 minutes, stirring gently now and then.

    Ready when: The tip of a knife slides into the pieces easily (just tender, not falling apart), and the sauce has become a thin syrup.

    Otto tried this firstOtto stirs like he's mixing cement and ends up with sweet potato mash. Gentle turns with a big spoon keep the rounds whole.

  5. Toast the pecans

    Meanwhile, heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, gas 4, 350°F). Spread the 26 g (¼ cup) pecans on a baking sheet and toast for about 8 minutes.

    Ready when: The pecans are dark brown and smell toasty.

  6. Salt and chop the pecans

    Sprinkle the warm pecans with a pinch of salt, let them cool completely, then chop them roughly.

  7. Serve

    Spoon the sweet potatoes and their syrup onto a platter and scatter the pecans over the top.

Swaps

  • Instead of pumpkin pie spice: your own mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and allspice These are the usual spices in the blend; there's no set ratio, so go by taste
  • Instead of dark brown sugar: light brown sugar works, but dark is better: its extra molasses makes a glossier, more caramel glaze

Make ahead, store & reheat

Make ahead
You can make these up to 2 days ahead and reheat them on the stove, stirring now and then. Making them on the day is gentler, though: the soft pieces can fall apart when reheated and stirred.
Storage
Cool, then refrigerate in an airtight container with the syrup within 2 hours. Eat within 2 days. Frozen in a freezer-safe container with the air pressed out, they keep up to 2 months.
Reheat
Thaw frozen leftovers overnight in the fridge. Reheat gently on the stove, in the oven or in the microwave until steaming hot all the way through, 74°C (165°F), stirring very carefully.

If something goes wrong

  • Some pieces are mushy while others are still hard
    The pieces were different sizes. Cut big rounds into halves or quarters so everything cooks at the same speed.
  • The potatoes broke up in the pot
    Stir less often and more gently, just enough to baste them with syrup.

Safety

  • Bubbling sugar syrup is much hotter than boiling water and sticks to skin. Use a long spoon, lift the lid away from you, and keep kids away from the stove.
  • Pecans are tree nuts. Leave them off (or serve them on the side) if anyone is allergic.