Recipe for Candied Sweet Potatoes ???

Pork Puller

Wnen I was a kid, my great grandmother used to make these awsome candied sweet potatoes.The potatoes were sliced and put in a single layer in a baking pan.I think she made a syrup of white sugar and water and poured over the potatoes,then dotted with butter and baked.The end result was a soft potato that was very chewy,almost taffy-like.You had to dig them out of the pan and they stuck to your teeth somthin' awful.It made the worst mess of the pan you ever saw, musta taken her three days of soaking that pan to get it clean.
Anyway,she passed away many years ago and nobody in the family ever found out for sure,how to duplicate the recipe.Everyone in my family loves to cook,and we've been trying for years to figure this out, with limited results.It doesn't sound very difficult,there must be a step in the process nobody has hit on yet.Getting the taffy-like part,is what is missing. I've been asked to try again this year,as I seem to have gotten closer than anyone else.[p]I figured with all the great cooks on this forum, there would be a better than average chance someone would have the answer.[p]This is my favorite holiday of the year,when our family gets together to cook a great meal and spend the day together.It would be a blessing to me to finally nail this recipe.[p]Sorry for the rambling,any help is appreciated.
Thanks.
Keith

QBabe

Pork Puller,[p]Boy, that's a tough one. We always had candied sweet potatoes but it was a brown sugar base, not white, and was pretty much just the sweet potatoes (we actually used the canned yams, not fresh sweet potatoes), then covered them in a layer of pure brown sugar, then dotted with butter. The pan WAS always the worst thing to clean, and I think we ended up with a similar consistency of the sweet potatoe, almost like candy.[p]I think in our case, the big difference was in using the canned yams. They already began soft, so the time in the oven with the gooey layers were more time for the "candy" process than to cook the potatoes.[p]Don't know if this will help or not. Just rambling this morning before I've had coffee...[p]Tonia
:~)

mad max beyond eggdome

Pork Puller,
i know this isn't the same thing, but following is my sister's yam recipe. ..its about as sweet as you can get, especially if you take the additional step to cover them wiht marshmallows just before baking. .. .and btw, it has a great flavor when baked in a clean burning egg. .. [p]Here's the Yam recipe that Mad Max asked for yesterday. Warning -- this recipe is neither for the "heart healthy" nor for anyone who's even considering counting calories any time in the next six months.[p]There are 2 parts -- part 1 can be done one or two days in advance:[p]Part 1:[p]Boil or nuke 3 to 4 pounds of fresh yams (or sweet potatoes -- yams are just a prettier color) until you can mash them -- then mash them.[p]Add:
3 T Butter
3 t cinamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/4 t salt
1 c of evaporated milk
have available 2 cups of light brown sugar.
start with 3/4 c of sugar -- mix in and taste.
is it sweet enough for you? no -- add more brown sugar -- taste and add until you're happy.
I normally end up using 2 cups of sugar for 4 pounds of yams -- we have a very sweet tooth oriented family. The only person who ever thought it was too sweet was my old boss who thinks an apple is a snack.[p]Turn mixture into greased oven proof container (I use Crisco).
Either put in refrigerator or go to Part 2.[p]Part 2 -- bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes and eat. [p]

Wise One

Pork Puller, although not exact, this is probably one that you can use as a base. But I will tell you, nothing ever tastes like what our grandmothers did.
Candied Sweet Potatoes II [p]3 lbs sweet potatoes
6 Tbs butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup peach liqueur, like Schnapps
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp orange zest
1 cup orange juice
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 orange, sliced

1 Peel and slice sweet potatoes.
2 Put in a large pot of lightly salted water. Bring to a boil. Boil 5 minutes, drain and cool.
3 Put sweet potatoes into a 2 quart casserole, dot with the butter.
4 Mix sugar with next 8 ingredients and mix well. Sprinkle over sweet potatoes.
5 Pour orange juice and lemon juice over sweet potatoes.
6 Cover with the sliced oranges.
7 Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Recipe Source
Author: James Rosebud of The Cotton Club, New York City

[p]

Pork Puller

QBabe,
Did you add juice from the can,or was the sugar added dry?Seems at least some juice would be needed.In all my experiments over the years,I've never tried just adding the sugar dry,maybe that should be this years try.I do know her's didn't have any spice, just potatoes,sugar and butter.[p]
Thanks for your reply
Keith

QBabe

Pork Puller,[p]Yes, a little juice from the can, then as the butter melts and the sugar melts, they combine into this stickey gooey mess![p]Tonia
:~)[p]PS...I've also thought of starting with some of the can juice, then adding Karo Corn Syrup, mix in the sugar, pour over, and then top with butter.[p]

Unknown

mad max beyond eggdome,
great recipe! sounds like sweet potato pie without the crust. who needs those empty carbs from the crust, anyway?!?!?