Recipe: Grandma Liz’s Candied Sweet Potatoes

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This recipe comes to us from Emily and Melissa Elsen the sisters behind Four and Twenty Blackbirds.

“As kids, we were obsessed with Grandma Liz’s candied sweet potatoes,” they told us. “The Thanksgiving table wasn’t complete until she showed up with a big, warm plate of these. These are so rich and sweet they could almost pass for a dessert.”

Serves 4-6 as a sidePrep time: 30 minutesCook time: 20 minutesTotal time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

3-4 medium sized sweet potatoes

A couple pinches of salt

1 cup of maple syrup

1/2 cup brown sugar

2-3 Tbsp. butter

Preparation:

Boil the sweet potatoes until they are just tender, but not mushy. Let cool, then peel, and slice into thick slices, about 1/2 inch or more. Sprinkle with salt.

In a large cast iron skillet (Grandma always used an electric skillet, but that might be hard to come by) bring the butter, maple syrup and brown sugar to a low simmer.

Once the butter and syrup mixture is hot, maintain a medium heat and add the sweet potato slices. Simmer until golden brown and beginning to caramelize. Flip and do the same on the other side. Remove from heat and plate with a little of the extra maple sauce from the pan. These are good warm or just at room temperature.