Speaking of classic Thanksgiving recipes, this is the classic baked sweet potatoes or yam casserole recipe. I know there are a lot of new moderns versions of this side, but I love this original marshmallow-covered one too much to give it up. When we were younger my mom made the mistake of trying to update the sweet potato recipe to a more modern version which was topped with candied walnuts or pecans. I am sure it would have been delicious, but my sisters and I threw such a fuss that she ended up having to put marshmallows on half.
What can I say? To me it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without marshmallow-covered candied yams/ sweet potatoes or canned jelled cranberry sauce (sliced at the can ring lines…. Not mashed up!) I call this sweet potatoes, but really I use yams because they are cheaper. Preparing this dish is so easy, you will never use yams out of a can again!
- 2-3 pounds of yams or sweet potatoes
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup butter, melted
- 2 tbsp. maple syrup
- 2-3 cups marshmallows
- Peel and cut sweet potatoes up into 1-1/2 inch pieces. Place in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10-12 minutes until sweets potatoes are tender.
- Drain sweet potatoes
- In a large bowl add cooked sweet potatoes, butter, maple syrup, and brown sugar. Mix together until combined and smooth.
- Spread out sweet potatoes in casserole dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees until sides are bubbling. Add marshmallows on the top during the last 5 minutes. To get the toasted marshmallow effect, turn broiler on for the last 2 minutes. Be careful because they can burn easily!
- These yams can be made ahead, up until the baking step and then refrigerated or frozen. You will need to add extra time to the baking to make sure they heat thoroughly.
