Maple Roasted Yams With Cranberries And Orange Food

MAPLE ROASTED YAMS WITH CRANBERRIES AND ORANGE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook cubed yams in the water until they just begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Drain and transfer to a 13x9 baking dish.
• In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat and add orange juice and maple syrup. Return to a gentle boil and simmer until it thickens just a bit, 3-5 minutes. Pour mixture over yams.
• Bake yams uncovered just until tender, about 30 minutes, stirring gently every 10-15 minutes. Mix in cranberries. Continue baking until yams are very tender and juices form a thick glaze around the yams, about 15 minutes longer. Remove from oven, stir, and serve!

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.

SWEET POTATO CRANBERRY BAKE

Steps:

• Place sweet potatoes in a Dutch oven; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until tender, 20-30 minutes. Drain. When cool enough to handle, peel potatoes and cut into 1/4-in. slices. , Place half in a greased 2-1/2-qt. baking dish. Top with half of the cranberries, brown sugar and butter. Repeat layers. Pour orange juice over top. Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. , In a small bowl, combine the walnuts, brown sugar and cinnamon; cut in butter. Sprinkle over sweet potato mixture. Bake, uncovered, until topping is golden brown, about 10 minutes longer.

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 YAMS WITH ORANGE AND CRANBERRIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Cook yams in boiling salted water 3 minutes.
• Drain.
• Transfer to 13x9 baking dish.
• Blend syrup, butter, and peel in a small bowl.
• Pour over yams.
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat.
• (Can be made one day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.).
• Bake yams uncovered until just tender, stirring and occasionally basting, about 30 minutes.
• Mix in cranberries.
• Continue baking until yams are very tender and juices form thick glaze, about 15 minute longer.
• Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve.

MAPLE YAMS WITH APPLES & CRANBERRIES

Steps:

• Scrub yams thoroughly, place on baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees F until cooked but still somewhat firm, about 30-40 minutes.
• Set yams aside to cool.
• Slice apples thinly. Leave the skin on, for its color, its wonderful nutritional value, and so the apples keep their shape. I used Granny Smiths because they have a nice tartness and don't fall apart in baking, but Golden Delicious or similar would also be good.
• Toss apples with lemon juice and set aside.
• Combine all remaining ingredients EXCEPT for cranberries in small saucepan, and cook until sugar is dissolved, creating a thin sauce.
• Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Slice sweet potatoes into thick slices, or cut into chunks as desired, leaving the skins on. (Remember--fiber is good!).
• Assemble casserole in a greased 9x13x2-inch baking dish (stoneware or glass), layering the yams, then apples, then the cranberries. There should be enough for two layers of each.
• Pour sauce over the top of the casserole.
• Bake uncovered casserole for 30-45 minutes, basting intermittently with its own juices (or with extra fruit juice for a more moist casserole--I used some apple cider I had on hand) until apples are tender and dish is hot.
• Let sit for 10 minutes before serving, if possible, so the juices can thicken up a bit.
• Variation: Drizzle lightly before serving with some warm maple syrup and/or flax oil.
• Alternatively: if you're preparing it ahead of time, cover dish with foil and refrigerate overnight, and bake as usual the next day.
• Note on the "maple syrup": you must use natural maple syrup, not pancake syrup! I used Grade B--it has a higher nutrient content and a richer flavor. If you don't have maple syrup on hand, just use honey instead. The taste won't be as rich, but it will still be yummy.