Right now, I’m in heaven. I have been eating that plateful of wonderful candied sweet potatoes with that sugary buttery ambrosia from the bottom of the pan drizzled all over it! It is complete bliss and no, it is not healthy – but it is a holiday dish so let’s just call it a splurge. It is my preferred dessert during Thanksgiving and Christmas so for those people who are asking about fall apples and pumpkin recipes? Here’s one that is neither and it will knock your socks off. Period.
Sweet potatoes are fibrous which is something I didn’t understand when I was in my 20’s. Back when I was taking care of my dad as he was dying, the entire family thought it would be a good idea to come to our house for Thanksgiving so we could all be together. Well, let’s see: I got to clean the house from top to bottom, keep dad fed dry and happy, make sure a 12-year-old got all her semester projects done and make sure mom had clean clothes to wear to work that week PLUS cook the larger part of the meal. Uh, yeah – that was really nice of everyone. Nana came over and helped thank goodness because mom doesn’t cook and I was pretty bad at it back then.
I could smell those sweet potatoes cooking in the oven with the brown sugar and butter melting all down the sides of each piece and then with the marshmallows! It’s all I could smell or think about as I went around the kitchen doing what Nana told me to do while running to bathe, shave, and dress dad as mom and Top Girl entertained our guests as they arrived. When it came time to eat, I only wanted the sweet potatoes. I ate a bowlful and then another and eventually a third small bowl. I was happy as a clam ………for about 2 hours. Did I mention that sweet potatoes are fibrous? A stabbing pain hit my tummy so hard it took my breath away. I made my way to my bed where I could lie down, curled up in a ball moaning and groaning in pain. Nana came to the door and said, “What’s wrong sugar foot?” That’s what she called me, sugar foot. I couldn’t breathe much less tell her. She just smiled and reminded me that she warned me when I got my first bowlful that I should probably rethink eating only sweet potatoes on an empty stomach. It was a long afternoon and night. I never did it again and I highly recommend you not do it either. But a small bowl or plate of these delectable golden gems is absolutely sublime. Oh yeah, and really easy to make!
Nana’s Candied Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients:
3-4 medium sized sweet potatoes.
¼ Cup white sugar
¼ Cup brown sugar
1 Cup (more or less) pecans (optional)
½ Cup unsalted butter cut into pats
Marshmallows
Directions:
Clean the potatoes put in a pot of water and bring to boil cooking until potatoes are tender.
Peel potatoes.
Cut up into small sizes like this:
Place in a greased 9 x 13 pan
Sprinkle both sugars and pecans on top then the butter pats. At this point, you can double wrap in foil and place in freezer for a couple of weeks. Works perfectly! If you do, thaw completely before proceeding.
Place covered with foil, in a 350F oven for 45 minutes.
Take out and remove foil spreading on marshmallows
Flip your oven over to broil “high” and set the dish on the lowest rack in the oven.
It only takes 2-3 minutes for the marshmallows to puff up and then get just a bit brown.
Take out and serve!
I am linked up to Weekend Potluck so come on over and check it out!
This recipe is very similar to the way I make my Thanksgiving sweet potatoes. They have been on the menu since I cooked my first dinner in 1952 and were my favorite dish from my mother’s holiday menu all through my childhood.
I was tired just reading about everything you had to do on that memorable Thanksgiving.
Thanks Lillian! It’s a yum dish and to tell you the truth, I’ve not done that much work again on a holiday! 🙂
Southern tradition is to always have candied sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving! Your recipe is nearly the same as mine, I could eat the entire bowl! Love sweet potatoes anyway they are cooked! My grandfather use to grow 2-3 acres of sweet potatoes and I use to help him harvest them, a lot of work but fun too!
Thank you for posting my Strawberry Topped Cheesecake recipe! I got a few hits from your post! 🙂
http://michaelswoodcraft.wordpress.com/2014/02/09/strawberry-topped-cheesecake/
Oh, it will go on for days! You’ve gotten 56 likes and 19 shares so far and the night owls haven’t even gotten up to check out our group yet……….hopefully you’ll get more!
Oh what a beautiful, inviting recipe! Love your story of your nana calling you Sugar foot. =) I’m a Nana too, and hope my grands will always have great memories of our time shared in the kitchen.
Thank you Marsha! I appreciate you stopping by. I’m sure your grands WILL have great memories – I secretly hope my grandson will have good memories of us cooking in the kitchen together.
You made me laugh calling this a dessert, Kelli! My grandmother’s were very similar and they were considered a vegetable at our Thanksgiving table. 🙂 One of my favorite dishes!
I know! Lots of people consider them a side dish but I don’t usually mix my sweet and my savory – I’ve always just considered them dessert because of the marshmallows and all. Last night when my daughter came in she could smell them – well, actually it was the pie – and she hardly ate any supper so she could mostly have candied sweet poatoes for dessert! 🙂
I have never tried sweet potatoes this way, they look so delicious 😀
Another fab recipe!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Thanks CCU – you must try them this way – it’s a sweet and delicious as any cake with icing or cookies you’ve ever made!
This is definitely on everyone’s comfort food list, I am sure. You have me in a holiday spirit now.
Just trying to get those recipes out there so people have a chance to try them for the holidays! I’ve got 2 kinds of soup going today…..and it’s going to be 91F!
I add a little maple syrup to it. 1/3 rd cup.
That’s a great idea!