Stove Top Candied Sweet Potatoes
Candied Sweet Potatoes
Mom would make her candied sweet potatoes on the stove top, never in an oven.
I still remember watching tv and the first time I saw them demonstrate how to cook candied sweet potatoes, it was in a casserole dish in the oven. I though to myself that is just wrong. Look at all the extra work they are doing. That is not how I was raised, after all I have been eating these since the 1960’s.
Well what do I know? Apparently not much since almost every recipe I see for candy sweet potatoes tells me to to bake it in the oven with. Ahh, but I was shopping back in the 80s when I saw the package of Mrs.Paul’s® microwave sweet potatoes, a serving for 2. Great, I bough it, thinking to my self, this is great all set to go. I don’t remember if I had to add water or not, but I do remember it had the sweet potatoes and sugar in it and it got microwaved. Now you are talking someone making a recipe similar to what I grew up with.
Try it this way and see how you like it. Just don’t stir the potatoes too much because once they get cooked they get tender and you know, tender potatoes tend to break up.
Enjoy
Candied Sweet Potatoes Ingredients
4 simple ingredients.
- Sweet Potatoes
- Butter
- Water
- Brown Sugar (try my homemade brown sugar recipe.)
Candied Sweet Potatoes cooking instructions.
Put everything into a large pot. The syrup will bubble and rise quite a bit while cooking.
All ingredients in a pot with heat on medium.
Once the water starts melting the sugar and butter it will look like this.
Heating candied sweet potatoes, notice the water and butter are melting the sugar as things heat up.
Go ahead and stir every now and then. Be gentle because when the potatoes get done they may break easily. If the syrup gets too thick thin it with a few tablespoons of water. The syrup will thicken as it cooks.
Candied Sweet Potatoes completed cooking. If the syrup is too thick thin with a few tablespoons of hot water, As syrup cools it will get thicker.
Enjoy.
This meal included a chicken thigh, baby spinach and some mushrooms with my candied sweet potatoes.
Candied Sweet Potatoes, spinach, mushrooms and a baked chicken thigh
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 4 people | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 45 minutes |
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Stove top candied sweet potatoes are so easy to may you may never want to make the sweet potato casserole again. Four simple ingredient and it all gets cooked on the stove top.
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- 1.5 pounds sweet potatoes ( about 2-3 )
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup butter (1 sticks) (about 113grams / 125 mL)
- 1 cups brown sugar (200 grams)
- Peel and slice the sweet potatoes. I like 1/2-thick potatoes. If they are too large, I will cut into moons.
- Place the water, brown sugar, butter and sweet potatoes in a large pot.
- Place a tight fitting lid on and put the pot on the stove. Cook on medium heat until the potatoes are cooked, about 30-60 minutes, and the sugar and butter have turned into a syrup. Stir occasionally, but take care since potatoes will become delicate as they cook. Potatoes are done when they are soft and the syrup will thicken as it cools. If necessary, remove the lid towards the end of cooking to allow the water to boil off.
Optionally some people like to add a little cinnamon or nutmeg in the beginning or even some vanilla extract. The choice is yours. I was raised with a plain Jane type potatoes.
Out of brown sugar! No problems - just add granulated sugar with 2 tablespoons of molasses for each cup of sugar, no need to mix the sugar and molasses to make you own brown sugar. (just follow my recipe for homemade brown sugar.)