SOUTHERN BOURBON GLAZED SWEET POTATOES

Southern Bourbon Glazed Sweet Potatoes image

Provided by Kimmi Knippel (Sweet_Memories) @KimmiK

Number Of Ingredients 10

3 pound(s) sweet potatoes (about 4)
- kosher salt, to taste
1 stick(s) butter, salted, cold, divided
1/4 cup(s) steen's pure cane syrup
1 1/2 cup(s) dark brown sugar, firmly packed, divided
1/4 teaspoon(s) cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon(s) cloves
5 dash(es) freshly grated nutmeg (about 5 passes on a microplane)
1/4 cup(s) pecans, chopped
1/2 - 3/4 cup(s) bourbon

Steps:

Bake the sweet potatoes at 400 degrees F. for about 45 - 50 minutes, or just until fork tender but not mushy. Can be done in advance; can also boil whole until tender. Butter a 9 x 9" casserole dish; set aside. Once sweet potatoes are cooled, peel, cut into 1/2" rounds & layer into the casserole dish, sprinkling a few light pinches of salt in between the layers.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Melt 1/2 of the butter in a skillet, stirring in the cane syrup & 1/2 of the brown sugar until blended. Stir in the cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg & pecans. Remove from the heat & stir in the bourbon. Taste & adjust as needed.
Pour the butter & bourbon mixture on top of the sweet potatoes. Cut the remaining butter into thin slices & spread over the top of the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle the rest of the brown sugar all over the top.
Bake, uncovered at 325 degrees F., basting a few times with a spoon or a baster, for about 25 - 30 minutes, or until bubbly & thickened.
NOTE: I call for the regular salted butter in this recipe since I used fresh, raw sweet potatoes & feel the salted butter more appropriate. If you use unsalted butter, you'll probably want to use some additional salt sprinkled on the layers. Also, if you substitute canned sweet potatoes or canned yams for the fresh sweet potatoes, understand that those are very often already heavily sweetened & you may want to adjust the brown sugar accordingly.