Candied Yams
The Meat-and-Three: Potlikker & Produce
If you want to start a fight in a Southern kitchen, ask whether candied yams belong on the stove or in the oven, or whether they should be buried under a charred blanket of marshmallows. Let’s clear the air: authentic, generational Soul Food relies on a slow-simmered, spice-infused syrup, not a 1917 corporate marketing stunt. Built on Black culinary brilliance, the dish utilizes the sweet potato—adopted by enslaved West Africans who named it after the starchy *nyami* of their homeland. This canonical stovetop method bypasses the oven entirely, reducing butter, sugars, and a sharp hit of ginger and clove into a glossy, complex glaze that coats every single bite.
Before you start
Slice uniformly.
Cut the sweet potatoes into even 1/2-inch rounds to ensure they cook at the same rate. If the potatoes are exceptionally wide, halve the rounds into half-moons.
Prevent oxidation.
If you aren't cooking the sliced sweet potatoes immediately, submerge them in a bowl of cool water so they don't turn brown, draining well before they hit the pot.
Select the right tuber.
Ensure you purchase orange-fleshed sweet potatoes like Jewel, Garnet, or Beauregard, which may be erroneously labeled as 'Yams' in standard American grocery stores.
Ingredients
- orange-fleshed sweet potatoes3 lb
- unsalted butter1/2 cup
- dark brown sugar1/2 cup
- granulated white sugar1/2 cup
- water1/4 cup
- ground cinnamon2 tsp
- ground nutmeg1/2 tsp
- ground ginger1/4 tsp
- ground cloves1/8 tsp
- kosher salt1/2 tsp
- pure vanilla extract1 tbsp
Method
- 01
Build the syrup base.
In a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, combine the butter, dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, water, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clove, and salt over medium heat, stirring gently until the butter melts and the sugars dissolve into a dark liquid.
- 02
Coat the sweet potatoes.
Add the sliced sweet potatoes to the pot and toss them gently with a large wooden spoon until every piece is coated in the butter-sugar mixture.
- 03
Simmer covered.
Bring the liquid to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and let simmer for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring gently from the bottom every 10 minutes so the potatoes don't stick or break apart.
- 04
Reduce into a glaze.
Once the sweet potatoes are fork-tender, remove the lid, slightly increase the heat to medium, and simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes to evaporate the water and allow the syrup to thicken and cling to the potatoes.
- 05
Finish with vanilla and rest.
Turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla extract to preserve its delicate notes, then let the yams sit in the pot for 5 to 10 minutes to allow the glaze to set up as it slightly cools.
Notes
The secret balancer.
Ginger and clove are the closely guarded secrets of a Southern grandmother's kitchen, utilized specifically to keep the dish from leaning one-note sweet.
A bright or boozy substitution.
For added complexity, swap the water for fresh orange juice to add a bright acidic counterbalance, or a quarter cup of spiced rum or bourbon for a deep caramel undertone.
Mind the sugar.
The line between perfectly caramelized and burnt sugar is incredibly thin; lower the heat during the final uncovered reduction if it thickens too rapidly.
From Cook Southern Food.