Candied Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potato tubers are flavorful, creamy, and high in fiber, vitamin C and other vitamins, and contain antioxidants. Plain sweet potatoes are naturally sweet without adding sweeteners, yet fairly low in calories (but not in this recipe!) This is a highly nutritious vegetable that should be eaten more often all year long, and not reserved just for holiday dishes.

Candied Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

 3 large sweet potatoes
 1 stick butter or margarine (about 1/2 cup)
 1 cup brown sugar (adjust as needed)
 1/4 tsp. salt (optional)

Preparation Time: 45 minutes

Nutritional Value: High

Preparation:

 Wash the sweet potatoe skins to remove any loose dirt, but don't remove them. Place them whole in a large pot of water with the salt and boil until you can poke them with a fork, but remove them from the water when still firm. This takes about 15-20 minutes, once the water begins to boil. If you put a lid on the pot, they will cook faster.
 
 Immediately drain them and run cold water over them until cool. This will make the skins loosen and they will be easy to pull off without having to peel them.
 
 Slice each sweet potato along the longer side into slices about 1/2" thick. While you are slicing the sweet potatoes, melt the butter in an electric skillet at 350 degrees or you can use a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat.

 When the butter is melted and bubbly, sprinkle the brown sugar across the whole bottom of the pan. You can use less or more brown sugar as needed. (I don't measure, I just pour it straight from the bag until the bottom of the pan is covered.) As you pour in the sugar, stir the mixture constantly until the sugar begins to melt and is thoroughly mixed with the butter.

 Add a single layer of sweet potatoe slices and cook them on each side just until they start to brown. This usually only takes a couple minutes. Then flip to the other side for a couple more minutes, and they  are ready to serve. Watch closely during this stage so they don't burn. If you have too many slices to do all at once, cover the first batch with aluminum foil to keep them warm while you fry the next batch.

If there is any of the butter/sugar sauce left after all the sweet potatoes are glazed, you can pour it over your serving dish.

Yield:

 Makes about 12 servings, but feeds 6 people, because everyone always wants seconds.

Substitutions:

You can substitute yams for the sweet potatoes. My mother swears sweet potatoes are best, but I think sweet potatoes and yams taste about the same, and yams usually cost about a dollar a pound less. Both vegetables are very nutritional, but in different ways.

Additions:

 Some people like to top them with a cup of chopped pecans (known as Praliene Sauce when mixed with the butter and brown sugar sauce), a cup of marshmallows (bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes after frying, or until the marshmellows melt -- personally, I think this makes them too sweet), or garnish each slice with a piece of pineapple or maraschino cherries.

Variations:

 Add a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, or pumpkin pie spice to the butter and sugar glaze for a slightly different flavor.

 Other ways to fix sweet potatoes:

 Sweet potatoes can be used to thicken soups and stews, cold in salads, in any cassarole that calls for regular white potatoes, or served mashed, baked, boiled, grilled or fried. There are even recipes for sweet potato bread and sweet potato biscuits. Sweet potatoes are especially popular during the holiday season when they are used to make pies and soufflés.

Sweet Potato Measurements:

3 sweet potatoes approximately 5" X 2" = 1 pound
1/2 pound sweet potatoes = 2 cups grated
1 pound sweet potatoes = 1 to 1 1/2 cups pureed

(Part 1) Candied Sweet Potatoes     (Part 2) History and Nutritional Value of Sweet Potatoes & Yams