Maple Glazed Sweet Potatoes With Cranberries And Pecans Food

MAPLE-CRANBERRY SWEET POTATOES

Steps:

• In covered 6-quart saucepot, heat whole sweet potatoes with 1 teaspoon salt and enough water to cover to boiling on high. Reduce heat to low; simmer, covered, about 30 minutes or just until potatoes are fork-tender. Drain. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
• Meanwhile, in 1-quart saucepan, heat maple syrup to boiling on high. Reduce heat to medium, and boil gently 10 to 15 minutes or until reduced to 1/2 cup. Stir in cranberries, butter, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cook just until cranberries pop, about 5 minutes longer.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut cooled sweet potatoes crosswise into 1-inch-thick slices and arrange in shallow 3-quart ceramic or glass baking dish, overlapping slices if necessary.
• Spoon maple-cranberry syrup evenly over potatoes. Bake, uncovered, 20 minutes or until hot.
• To make Ginger-Almond Sweet Potatoes: Prepare sweet potatoes as above in step 1. In step 2, instead of maple-cranberry syrup, prepare ginger syrup: In 1-quart saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon margarine or butter on medium. Add 2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger; cook 1 minute, stirring. Stir in 1/2 cup apricot preserves, 1/4 cup orange juice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; heat to boiling, stirring. Complete recipe as in steps 3 and 4, spooning ginger syrup over potatoes and sprinkling with 1/2 cup toasted sliced natural (with brown skin still on) almonds before baking.Each serving: About 230 calories, 4 g protein, 45 g carbohydrate, 4 g total fat (1 g saturated), 5 g fiber, 0 mg cholesterol, 210 mg sodium.To make Butterscotch-Spice Sweet Potatoes: Prepare sweet potatoes as above in step 1. In step 2, instead of maple-cranberry syrup, prepare butterscotch-spice syrup: In 1-quart saucepan, heat 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 3 tablespoons butter (no substitutions), 2 tablespoons water, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne) to boiling, stirring until smooth; remove from heat. Complete recipe as in steps 3 and 4, spooning butterscotch-spice syrup over potatoes before baking.Each serving: About 210 calories, 2 g protein, 43 g carbohydrate, 4 g total fat (2 g saturated), 4 g fiber, 10 mg cholesterol, 175 mg sodium.

MAPLE GLAZED SWEET POTATOES WITH PECAN TOPPING

Steps:

• Set oven to 400 degrees F.
• Butter a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
• In a large pot bring water with about 1 tablespoon salt to a full boil.
• Add in sweet potatoes and bring back to a boil; simmer/blanch for about 5 minutes (no more than 5 minutes at a boil); drain and rinse under COLD water; pat dry slightly with paper towels.
• Arrange the potatoes in the buttered dish, overlapping slighty.
• Sprinkle with about 1/2 - 1 teaspoon salt.
• Pour the maple syrup over potatoes in the dish.
• Dot with about 6 tablespoons butter.
• Cover with foil, and bake until the potatoes are ALMOST tender (about 25-30 minutes).
• In a small bowl or cup mix the flour and brown sugar together.
• Add in 7 tablespoons butter; rub together with fingers until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; mix in pecans.
• Remove the dish from oven and sprinkle the pecan mixture over over the potatoes.
• Return to oven (uncovered) to bake for another 20 minutes.

ROASTED SWEET POTATOES WITH PECANS AND SPICED MAPLE SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees F and arrange rack in the middle.
• While oven heats, place pecans on a baking sheet to toast until they smell nutty and are slightly darker, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
• Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet, drizzle with oil. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and toss to coat. Roast until golden brown and tender when pierced with a knife, about 40 to 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. When it foams, stir in maple syrup and cayenne and let cook briefly, about 1 minute. Serve sweet potatoes with a drizzle of maple butter and a scattering of pecans.

MAPLE-GLAZED YAMS WITH ORANGE AND CRANBERRIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook yams in large pot of boiling salted water 3 minutes. Drain; transfer to 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Blend syrup, butter and peel in small bowl; pour over yams. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Bake yams uncovered until just tender, stirring and basting occasionally, about 30 minutes. Mix in cranberries. Continue baking until yams are very tender and juices form thick glaze, about 15 minutes longer. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve.

MAPLE-GLAZED NEW POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Halve or quarter any large potatoes.
• In shallow dish large enough to hold potatoes in a single layer, toss potatoes with butter; season with salt and pepper.
• Spread in single layer and roast potatoes, uncovered, for 45 minutes, stirring once or twice during roasting.
• Meanwhile, in small dish, stir together vinegar, maple syrup, and sliced garlic.
• Drizzle potatoes with vinegar mixture, gently tossing with a spoon or spatula to coat.
• Continue to roast about 10 to 20 minutes more, until potatoes are fork-tender and glazed, stirring once or twice.
• To serve, sprinkle potatoes with green onions, thyme, and lemon peel. Makes 6 servings.

MAPLE-BAKED SWEET POTATOES WITH CRANBERRIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Place whole sweet potatoes into a large pot and cover with salted water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain and allow to cool.
• Meanwhile, heat maple syrup and brown sugar in a small saucepan to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer until reduced by just about half. Add cranberries and return to a boil. Cook until berries are popping open. Add butter and dried thyme; remove from the heat.
• Slice cooled sweet potatoes into 1-inch rounds. Transfer to an 8x12-inch glass baking dish and arrange so potatoes are standing nearly on their sides and stacked like fallen dominoes. Stir hot syrup mixture, then pour it over the sweet potatoes, dispersing the cranberries as evenly as possible.
• Bake in the preheated oven until berries on top begin to caramelize, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Garnish each serving with a sprig of thyme.