Candied Yams

Ingredients

• 4 lb sweet potatoes
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Before you cook

• Heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into 1/2-inch thick rounds.
• Toss the rounds with the lemon juice in a large bowl to keep them from darkening.
• Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

Steps

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Stir in the brown sugar and granulated sugar until they dissolve.
3. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt and whisk for 1 minute.
4. Pour in the water and simmer the syrup for 3 minutes until it thickens slightly.
5. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the vanilla.
6. Layer the sweet potato rounds in the buttered dish, shingling them so they overlap.
7. Pour the hot syrup evenly over the whole dish.
8. Cover the dish tightly with foil.
9. Bake covered for 45 minutes.
10. Take off the foil and baste the potatoes with the syrup from the bottom of the dish.
11. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes, basting once more halfway through.
12. Check that a knife slides through a slice with no resistance.
13. Let the dish stand 10 minutes so the syrup thickens around the potatoes before serving.