Lemon-Ginger Glazed Sweet Potatoes

 

Happy Fall! Here is a Thanksgiving family favorite, Lemon-Ginger glazed Sweet Potatoes, (or yams, as many people call it, but more on that in a minute...**) that I have made some small tweaks to, in the last few years. The original recipe called for boiling the sweet potatoes first, then peeling them, and it used ground ginger powder, versus fresh ginger, and it also had much more brown sugar in it than mine. But I find my technique of peeling and roasting it in the oven is just as good (if not slightly better,) and the fresh ginger, and reduced sugar makes for a lighter, fresh-tasting and tangy version of the recipe. I don't even know where our mom found the original recipe, and all I had was her hand-written notes to go by.   It became a  yearly staple for our Thanksgiving table, and I frankly can't recall a time when we didn't eat it, so it has probably been in rotation for a good 25 or 30 years.

INGREDIENTS: 

2 - 3 fairly large sweet potatoes** (Garnet or Ruby kind)

1 large lemon

3/4 - 1 stick butter (depending on the size of your yams)

1" piece of fresh ginger, or more to taste

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp sea salt

 

**Please note that there are lots of regional discrepancies between the terms "sweet potatoes" versus "yams."  And even among "sweet potatoes" there are several varietals. What this recipe calls for is not the type of sweet potato with light-brown peel and whitish-yellow flesh. This recipe works best with the orange reddish sweet potatoes, with a brownish-red peel.  See more on this terminology explained here!

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 F. 

Peel sweet potatoes with a vegetable peeler.

Peel section of ginger root.

Slice and quarter the sweet potatoes into wedge shapes, about 1/2" thick.

Layer sweet potato pieces into oven-proof baking dish or a deep pie pan.

Halve the lemon, and pick out seeds. Put butter in microwave safe dish and microwave for 15-30 seconds until melted. (Or melt over low heat in a small pot on the stove.)

Zest the lemon rind using a microplane, or grater into a bowl or container.  Using the same grater or microplane, zest the ginger. (Mind your finger tips!!)

Add brown sugar and lemon-zest and ginger into the melted butter and whisk until well distributed.

Stir into the sliced sweet potatoes, and coat evenly with spatula.

Bake the sweet potatoes in the oven for 45+ minutes until fork-tender, turning with spatula after about 20 minutes to coat the sweet potatoes evenly with lemon-ginger mixture. Serve hot, or let cool and refrigerate for later. This dish can be made 2 or 3 days in advance, as long as it is well covered in the fridge to keep it from drying out. It reheats well in about 10-15 minutes at 350, or microwaved for a minute. Delicious with herbed, grilled meats like pork tenderloin, or of course, our family's traditional use: as a side for the Thanksgiving turkey!