Name: Candied Sweet Potato Casserole
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 85 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 5 to 6 medium sweet potatoes (approximately 4 pounds); ½ teaspoon salt; ⅛ teaspoon white pepper; 1 tablespoon orange zest; 2 tablespoons orange juice; ½ cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into large pieces; ¼ cup pure maple syrup; 1 cup packed dark brown sugar; ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon; ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1 teaspoon Mary’s Cognac Barrel-Aged Pure Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract; 2 cups miniature marshmallows, optional; ½ cup unsalted chopped pecans

Sides

Candied Sweet Potato Casserole

Author: Mary DiSomma

This Candied Sweet Potato recipe was an annual tradition in my home growing up. My mother insisted on making these every year, and they still remind me of her and my childhood holiday memories every time I make them. I remember her making her famous Candied Sweet Potatoes each Thanksgiving while my uncle Bob and uncle Richard fussed around her in the kitchen. She loved to entertain but was never stressed or rushed because she was so organized, and her food was consistently amazing. That feeling and watching her in her element in the kitchen was something that left a lasting impression on me, and was always something that I loved connecting with myself.

This recipe’s flavors of orange zest, maple syrup, and aromatic spices bring out the rich flavor of the sweet potatoes. They pair wonderfully with my simple Honey Mustard Glazed Ham recipe or my Herb Roasted Turkey recipe. This sweet potato recipe is so versatile, it even makes for delicious leftovers. (In fact, I think they may even be better the next day!) I like to spice up my mom’s original recipe by adding some mini marshmallows and chopped pecans or my friend Terri’s Homemade Marshmallows. I like to think mom would approve!

Tips

The history of candied sweet potatoes goes back much farther than my own family tradition! The sweet potato’s popularity in the United States started in the South, when African slaves begun using them like they would an African yam. The first “candy sweet potato” recipe appeared much later in 1896, in the Boston Cooking School Cookbook. The addition of marshmallows (depending on which side you take on the matter) did not enter the equation until several decades later when the processing and manufacturing of marshmallows became more popular in the 1920s. A Great Depression era cookbook called Vital Vegetables was the first to feature the recipe for candy sweet potatoes in 1929, during a time-period when vegetables were an affordable and practical ingredient. And ever since, we have seen the candied sweet potato grace tables across the country year after year–most commonly around the holidays!

The addition of marshmallows (depending on which side you take on the matter) did not enter the equation until several decades later when the processing and manufacturing of marshmallows became more popular in the 1920s. A Great Depression era cookbook called Vital Vegetables was the first to feature the recipe for candy sweet potatoes in 1929, during a time-period when vegetables were an affordable and practical ingredient. And ever since, we have seen the candied sweet potato grace tables across the country year after year–most commonly around the holidays!