Ooh baby, there is something sacred about a pan of candied yams sliding out of the oven—glossy, amber-sweet, and perfumed with warm spice. In my kitchen, this recipe is the one that makes everyone wander in asking, “Is it done yet?” The oranges bring brightness, the spices bring warmth, and the butter? Well… the butter does what butter does best.

Before we dive in, a quick note:
When brown sugar meets liquid, it can briefly seize and form little hard clumps. Don’t panic—this is normal.Just keep stirring over gentle heat, and those stubborn pieces melt right back down. I’ve written the steps below to help minimize that surprise, but if it happens, you’ve done nothing wrong.

Ingredients

4–5 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch circular slices
(Smaller potatoes tend to be sweeter and cook more evenly.)

1 1/12 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
(I love fresh Cara Cara when they’re in season, but any good orange juice works beautifully.)

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract (My favorite is Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 9×13 baking dish and arrange the sliced sweet potatoes inside.
2. Warm the orange juice.
   Heat it in the microwave for about 30 seconds, just until hot—not boiling.
   (Warm liquid helps prevent the sugar from seizing.)
3. Build the syrup.
   Add the brown sugar to a saucepan or dutch oven pot over medium heat (if using a dutch oven add a tbsp of butter to help the sugar melt down.) Stir continuously as the sugar melts into a fragrant, sandy mixture. Then add the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt
4. Add the butter. If using a dutch oven add the remaining butter.
   Stir in the cubes of butter and cook until the mixture becomes glossy, syrupy, and completely smooth.
5. Add the vanilla extract
6. Add the orange juice gradually.
   Pour the warm juice in slowly while stirring. If the sugar seizes or hardens at any point, just keep the heat gentle and continue stirring—it will smooth out as everything warms together.
7. Pour over the potatoes.
   Coat every slice with that beautiful spiced citrus syrup. If you have a bit of small sugar pieces its fine!
8. Bake covered with aluminum foil for 30 mins at 350°F.
9. Uncover & baste.
   Spoon the bubbling syrup over the potatoes and bake covered for another 30 minutes, or until tender and richly candied. Basting is key if you see pieces that look dryer than others.
10. Let it thicken
    Let the dish cool slightly before serving so the syrup thickens.