Hasselback Candied Yams
November 18, 2016 By Cathy — 12 CommentsThese hasselback candied yams are a new twist on a classic. And yep, those are marshmallows on there!
Here it is. The last push before Thanksgiving. Less than a week until the big day. The Super Bowl of food!
I’ve confessed to my lack of interest knowledge in organized sports before, with the soul exception of game day food. I love all the chilis, wings, dips and chips that go along with Sunday football or play-off baseball. Sitting down and watching the game, not so much.
But that’s what works in our house. There’s zero debate about who’s in the kitchen and who’s cheering from the couch. We’re in our happy places. It’s win/win.
But when the holidays kick in to full gear, that’s my Super Bowl, my World Series. I get as pumped up flipping through the holiday issues of my towering stack of food magazines in the days leading up to Thanksgiving as my husband does listening to sports talk radio before the Giants take the field.
I look forward, no treasure, those hours in the kitchen that I can roll pie crust, toast nuts and whip up herb butter. I cue up my favorite songs, pour a cup of coffee and get into my groove. The best part of Thanksgiving meal prep is there are no surprises. It’s mostly those tried and true favorite recipes with a few new ones sprinkled in. But the basics are always the same.
Today’s recipe for sweet potatoes is both tried and true with a sprinkle of new. Candied yams, but hasselback style. And to clarify, these are no ordinary candied yams. They are not dumped out of a can covered in syrup. Instead I’m using fresh yams, peeled and sliced and slathered in butter blended with brown sugar and autumn spices. In fact, this is the very same butter that I use to make my hot buttered rum (which, just saying, isn’t a bad way to close out Thanksgiving).
The other twist is to slice the yams like an accordion so all of the buttery goodness gets soaked up as they roast. New to hasselback-ing? Well, last year I changed things up a bit and made these hasselback pears for the dessert table. If you’re interested in my two cent hasselback history lesson, make sure to check it out.
But I digress. Getting back to the traditional, I’ve gone full marshmallow here. Yes, I’ve spent some time in the anti-marshmallow sweet potato camp before, but do you know what I realized? It’s an angry, judgey place. Tell me, who doesn’t enjoy a ooey, gooey toasted marshmallow? And yes, it does make these yams holiday-ready and oh so much more appealing to my 10 year old. So, hello old friend and welcome back to the table.
- 3 large yams, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 4 Tbsp dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp allspice
- pinch of cloves
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1½ cups mini marshmallows
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Place a yam half cut-side down on a cutting board. Lay chopsticks or thin wooden spoon handles on either side (lengthwise) of the yam. Make cuts (crosswise) about ⅛ inch apart , but don't cut all the way through. The chopsticks will prevent you from slicing straight through.
- Repeat with remaining yam halves.
- Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and divide into six equal portions.
- Lay yam halves flat side down in a baking dish coated with cooking spray and top each half with a portion of the compound butter. Cover the dish with foil.
- Roast for 40 mins, basting the yams occasionally. Uncover and roast for another 10 - 15 mins or until the yams are caramelized and can be easily pierced with a fork.
- Switch the oven to the broil setting and scatter the marshmallows over the yams.
- Broil until marshmallows are golden brown. Serve immediately.
Wow! What a perfect Thanksgiving side Cathy! So pretty and absolutely delicious I’m sure. Thanksgiving yams NEED marshmallows! The countdown is on!
Such a creative dish Cathy. I”m loving all things hasselback these days!
Right Karen? I would hasselback everything if I could!
Simple beautiful. I love the win/win approach. I think I might steal that line for future delineation of our game day approach. No truly, what a great spin on a classic. Nailed it!
Thanks Cindy. And for game day, why should we pretend when we both know what works? Cheers to the kitchen!
What a great idea! Candied yams aren’t really a thing here in Canada much (not sure I’ve ever tried them), but I am putting this on the list to try, even though my Thanksgiving is behind me 🙂
I just learned something new here. I had no idea there was such a thing as canned candied yams! Clearly we’re all about the fresh ones at my house too. And doing them hasselback is a great idea. I love how that gets all the flavors right down into the food.
I love this candied yams so much, Cathy! It’s so . It reminds me of my childhood when my grandmother cooked it for us. Thank for your recipe. I think I will make it in a new style to invite my grandmother to eat one day.
So glad you love them Sabrina. Let me know if you give it a try!!