James's
Candid
Sweet
Potatoes
10 to 12 medium sized yams. (Choose even-colored, rounded ones)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup sugar
One large can frozen orange juice concentrate
Juice of one small lemon
Two or three capfuls of vanilla extract
2 tablespoons of dark rum
Grated rind of one lemon
Butter
Sea salt
Wash yams, put in a large pot, cover with cold water and boil until they are
halfway done. Mix sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside. Mix the
honey, sugar, orange juice, and lemon juice in a saucepan and cook over medium
heat. When mixture comes to a boil, add the vanilla extract and the rum.
Continue to cook and stir the mixture until it turns into a thick syrup (about 1
1/2 cups). Stir to keep it from burning, and add the grated lemon rind.
When yams are cool enough to handle, peel them and slice horizontally. Preheat
oven to 375 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of a baking pan, cover the
bottom of pan with a layer of sliced yams, sprinkle yams lightly with sea salt,
then sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture over them. Continue to make layers of
yams and sugar mixture until all the yams have been used, saving some of the
sugar mixture for later. Pour the thickened syrup over yams, making sure all the
yams are covered. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture. Cover pan
loosely with foil and bake about 20 minutes, basting occasionally. Remove foil
and bake for 15 minutes or until yams are completely cooked. Now place baking
pan under broiler (set to low flame) for just a few minutes, until a slight
crust forms on the top. Watch it carefully so it doesn't burn.
One day the day will come when the day will not come.
- Paul Virilio