Chef Dean
Amish Buttered Egg Noodles
The humblest side dish in the Pennsylvania Dutch tradition, where wide egg noodles and good butter need nothing more than salt and a warm bowl to become the thing everyone remembers from the church supper.
Culinary Explorer
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Candied Yams with Marshmallows
Created by
Tender sweet potatoes bathed in a butter and brown sugar glaze until deeply caramelized, crowned with pillowy marshmallows toasted to golden perfection. This is the dish that makes Thanksgiving worth the effort.
Side Dishes
Southern
Thanksgiving
Christmas
Holiday
25 min
Active Time
1 hr 15 min cook•1 hr 40 min total
Yield8-10 servings
Let's address the elephant in the room: these aren't yams. True yams are starchy African tubers you'll rarely find in American supermarkets. What we call candied yams are sweet potatoes, and they've gone by the wrong name since the slave trade brought both the vegetable and its misapplied moniker to Southern shores. History is complicated. The dish, thankfully, is not.
This casserole represents everything I love about American regional cooking. It's honest, unapologetic, and completely unconcerned with European approval. Some food writers dismiss it as too sweet, too simple, too pedestrian for serious consideration. Those writers have never watched a grandmother's face light up when this dish appears on the holiday table.
The technique matters more than people realize. You want sweet potatoes that hold their shape while becoming fork-tender, swimming in a glaze that's reduced enough to coat but not so thick it turns to candy. The marshmallows need watching. Thirty seconds separates golden perfection from blackened disaster. Pay attention at the end and you'll be rewarded with that satisfying give when your spoon breaks through the toasted crust into tender, butter-soaked sweetness below.
I've served this dish to French chefs who arrived skeptical and left asking for the recipe. American food, when done with care, needs no apology.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
sweet potatoes
Quantity
4 pounds (about 5-6 medium)
unsalted butter
Quantity
1 cup (2 sticks/226g)
dark brown sugar
Quantity
1 1/2 cups
packed
pure maple syrup
Quantity
1/2 cup
ground cinnamon
Quantity
1 teaspoon
nutmeg
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
freshly grated
ground allspice
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon
fine sea salt
Quantity
1 teaspoon
pure vanilla extract
Quantity
2 teaspoons
fresh orange juice
Quantity
1/2 cup
large marshmallows
Quantity
1 (10-ounce) bag
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| sweet potatoes | 4 pounds (about 5-6 medium) |
| unsalted butter | 1 cup (2 sticks/226g) |
| dark brown sugarpacked | 1 1/2 cups |
| pure maple syrup | 1/2 cup |
| ground cinnamon | 1 teaspoon |
| nutmegfreshly grated | 1/2 teaspoon |
| ground allspice | 1/4 teaspoon |
| fine sea salt | 1 teaspoon |
| pure vanilla extract | 2 teaspoons |
| fresh orange juice | 1/2 cup |
| large marshmallows | 1 (10-ounce) bag |
Equipment Needed
- •9x13-inch ceramic or glass baking dish
- •Medium saucepan (3-quart)
- •Vegetable peeler
- •Aluminum foil
Instructions
- 1
Prepare sweet potatoes
Preheat your oven to 375°F. Peel the sweet potatoes using a vegetable peeler, working over the sink or a bowl to catch the mess. Cut them crosswise into rounds about three-quarters of an inch thick. Uniformity matters here because uneven slices cook unevenly. If you have larger potatoes, halve those thick rounds so everything cooks at the same pace.
Look for sweet potatoes with deep orange flesh, often labeled garnet or jewel. The pale varieties lack the sweetness and moisture this dish demands. - 2
Build the glaze
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once melted and foaming, add the brown sugar and stir until dissolved, about two minutes. The mixture will look grainy at first, then smooth out as the sugar melts into the fat. Add the maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. Stir to combine, then pour in the orange juice. The mixture will bubble vigorously when the cold juice hits the hot butter. Let it simmer for three minutes until slightly thickened.
- 3
Assemble the casserole
Arrange half the sweet potato slices in a 9x13-inch baking dish, overlapping them like fallen dominoes. Pour half the warm glaze over the potatoes, using a spoon to ensure every slice gets coated. Layer the remaining potatoes on top and cover with the rest of the glaze. Add the vanilla extract directly to the dish and tilt it gently to distribute.
A ceramic or glass baking dish works best. Metal pans conduct heat too aggressively and can scorch the sugary glaze at the edges. - 4
Bake until tender
Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for another 20 to 25 minutes, basting the potatoes with the bubbling glaze every ten minutes. The potatoes are done when a fork slides through the thickest piece with no resistance and the glaze has reduced to a syrupy consistency that coats your spoon. The edges will be deeply caramelized, almost burnt-looking. This is correct.
- 5
Toast the marshmallows
Remove the dish from the oven and switch your oven to broil. Arrange the marshmallows in a single layer across the top, packing them close but not crushing them. Place the dish on the upper oven rack, six inches from the broiler element. Watch constantly. The marshmallows will go from pale to golden to charred in about two to three minutes. Pull them the moment they achieve deep golden brown with darker patches. Do not walk away during this step.
If your broiler runs hot, crack the oven door slightly. Some cooks prefer a kitchen torch for more control over the browning. - 6
Rest and serve
Let the casserole rest for ten minutes before serving. This allows the glaze to thicken slightly and the marshmallow layer to set enough to slice cleanly. Serve directly from the baking dish, scooping down to include both the caramelized bottom layer and the toasted marshmallow crown. Have extra napkins available. This dish is unapologetically messy.
Chef Tips
- •The orange juice isn't traditional to all versions, but it cuts the sweetness and adds complexity that keeps this from becoming cloying. Fresh squeezed makes a difference you'll taste.
- •Dark brown sugar contains more molasses than light brown, giving deeper flavor and darker color. Don't substitute light brown or, heaven forbid, white sugar.
- •If you're serving buffet-style, wait to add the marshmallows until just before guests arrive. They're best within the first thirty minutes of toasting, before they deflate and turn rubbery.
- •This dish pairs beautifully with savory counterpoints: roasted turkey, glazed ham, or peppery collard greens. The sweetness needs something salty and rich to balance it.
Advance Preparation
- •The casserole can be assembled through step 3 the day before. Cover tightly and refrigerate. Add 15 minutes to the covered baking time to account for the cold dish.
- •The glaze can be made up to 5 days ahead and refrigerated. Rewarm gently before assembling.
- •Never add marshmallows ahead of time. They must be toasted just before serving or they'll dissolve into a gummy layer.
- •Leftovers reheat well at 350°F covered with foil for 20 minutes. Add fresh marshmallows and broil again if you want that toasted crown.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 392g)
Calories
645 calories
Total Fat
21 g
Saturated Fat
13 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
8 g
Cholesterol
69 mg
Sodium
254 mg
Total Carbohydrates
111 g
Dietary Fiber
6 g
Sugars
93 g
Protein
4 g
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