This recipe is probably the one I am MOST excited about this Thanksgiving season! And it is dedicated to my dad. He requested Candied Yams last year, and I knew I had to do them justice. My dad had only ever had the famous canned, candied yams which are sweet and tender and of course delicious. But in my opinion, they are too sweet and you lose the yummy flavor of the yam completely. With that in mind, I was determined to create Not-From-a-Can Candied Yams.
There are two things that make these Candied Yams totally perfect (my modesty is showing, I know). Number one is my secret ingredient, orange zest. Number two is how we cook the yams. Cooking the yams is a two part process. First you roast the yams as you would normally: in the oven until they are tender. Second, slice the yams into thick slices and pan fry them. Browning the yam slices brings out their flavor and adds a teensy bit of bitterness so that the candied part doesn’t overpower the them.
As you can tell, I like to extra brown a few pieces. I love the flavor. But I make sure when laying them out in the dish that the extra-browned yams aren’t all in one spot. Next, is the sauce. The sauce is SO easy to make, and it is ALSO where my secret ingredient comes in. Orange zest does NOT make your candied yams taste like oranges, don’t fret. But it does brighten the sauce and cut through the sweetness, and it is SO GOOD. The black pepper and ginger and a little hint of spice, and the butter, brown sugar and maple are always a perfect little trio for fall.
This Not-From-a-Can Candied Yams recipe is going to totally impress all of your family members who love sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving. AND it is going to blow the minds of everyone who has only had canned candied yams. If you want to continue blowing the minds of family members, I have the perfect Classic Pumpkin Pie recipe and these Mini Spiced Wafer Cheesecakes.
If you make this for your Thanksgiving celebration side dish, let me know!! I love hearing what you think of my recipes. As always, tag me on instagram @quartersoulcrisis also. Happy Thanksgiving!!!
[kindred-recipe id=”2396″ title=”Not-From-a-Can Candied Yams”]
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