"So, grandma, I was calling because, well, uhm, how do you cook a yam? I want to make candied yams like yours."
This was me, age 19. I had just moved out on my own (and I mean, maybe two weeks after I moved out of my parents' home) and I wanted to make candied yams when I went to my boyfriend's family's house for thanksgiving. I wanted to make them just like my grandma made them, marshmallows on top and all. As I would for every cooking-related question I would have for the next ten years (at the age of 29, I called asking her how she made her egg-salad because the one I made was just gross.), I called my grandma.
She proceeded to tell me how I could bake the yam or sweet potato in the oven ("Just stick 'em on a cookie sheet and pop 'em in the oven until you can pierce them with a fork") or I could do what she'd been doing the last few years ("Just stick 'em in the microwave"). She explained how she would scoop out the insides and cover them with several dollops of butter, about a cup of sugar ("give or take"), some cinnamon, and a little bit of salt. Then you cover them with "those big marshmallows. Not the mini ones" and bake until they "look done."
That's how I made them for thanksgiving when I was 19. Every year since then I've made the same dish, though each year, as I became more health conscious/adventurous in the kitchen/vegan it has evolved somehow. The yams became sweet potatoes. The butter became Earth Balance vegan butter. The sugar was replaced with healthier sweeteners. The marshmallows disappeared and were replaced with apple slices or dried cranberries. I stopped pre-baking the potatoes and just sliced them up and cooked them in the dish. Every year, it was a different rendition.
This year is no exception. The butter is gone altogether and is replaced with a mixture of orange juice and maple syrup. The fruit of choice this year is fresh pomegranate arils. I also topped this one with some pecans and a light sprinkling of coconut sugar just to give it that caramelized look (though, it occurred to me later that some of my Maple Sriracha Pecans, with or without the Sriracha would make a great topping too). While it baked away in the oven, it filled my house with the most lovely aroma. When I took my first bite, I closed my eyes and just felt euphoria rush over me. It was a far cry from the ones I cooked well over ten years ago in my tiny little Victorian apartment kitchen, but it was every bit as delicious and satisfying. I wish I lived close enough to my grandma to be able to share it with her.
If you're looking for a sweet potato dish for your holiday table, then look no further. Make this Pomegranate Orange Sweet Potato Bake and share it with your grandma.
Ingredients
- olive oil spray
- 3 large sweet potatoes or 4 small/medium, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch thick medallions
- 1 cup pomegranate arils
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400. Lightly spray a 9x13 baking dish with olive oil spray. Set aside.
- Place the sweet potato slices and pomegranate arils in a large bowl. In a small mixing bowl, combine the orange juice, maple syrup and spices. Pour the liquid over the sweet potatoes and pomegranate arils and toss to full coat.
- Make a layer of sweet potato medallions on the bottom of the prepared dish. Top with a little bit of the sauce and pomegranate arils from the bowl. Make another layer of sweet potato medallions and cover with a little bit more sauce and pomegranate arils. Repeat until all the ingredients are used. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes.
- Remove the aluminum foil from the dish. Sprinkle pecans on the top and sprinkle the coconut sugar on top of that. Very lightly spray the top with olive oil spray and return to the oven for 10-15 more minutes, until the sweet potatoes are fully cooked and the coconut sugar has caramelized on the top. Serve immediately. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Enjoy!
Has your grandma ever shared any recipes with you? What are your favorites?
Photography by Chris Miller
Caitlin
this is beautiful!
Bobbie {the vegan crew}
What a gorgeous dish. I may have to make room on our table for this one! 🙂
Julie
This looks absolutely amazing! I am making this for sure! Thank you for this! 🙂
Abby @ The Frosted Vegan
I'm the same way with my grandma, aren't they the best?!
Maggie Muggins
I have to say, as a Canadian I was always perplexed by sweet potato casserole. Is it a dessert? Is it a side? Now this one sounds fantastic, I would eat it for dessert, as a side, as a snack, any time of day!
Sarojini
Pinned! Thanks for this- I will try it out over Christmas; might even serve it with a few dollops of coconut whipped cream... my Granny taught me how to make tablet (grainy vanilla fudge) but of course I don't make that now. I also recreated a vegan version of her curry puffs (Anglo-Indian style).
Kammie @ Sensual Appeal
Gah your photos.... I jut want to eat the screen. Now.
luminousvegans
This just sounds fabulous! I loved reading about the evolution of sweet potatoes for you. The addition of fruit to sweet potatoes sounds yummy, something I had never thought of before!
jodye @ Whole Pure Recipes
Forget Thanksgiving, I want this for dinner tonight! Good call on the pecans, such a classic Thanksgiving flavor, and what an interesting use of pomegranate!
Emma
Is the marshmallow-topped sweet potato thing a US tradition? I came across it recently and have to admit it didn't appeal. This dish on the other hand looks fabulous 🙂 I haven't eaten any pomegranates this season but need to address that....
You ringing up your grandmother reminds me of my brothers, who, whenever they're hosting a dinner party it seems, call up my Mum to ask her for cooking advice. It's rather sweet!
Heather
Such a pretty dish! I was always in love with my Grams Chicken Noodle Soup, but her cooking was always pretty basic; I do remember calling her once in a panic when I couldn't get a hold of my Mom, I was making vegan meatloaves and wanted my Mom's recipe for the topping; which ended up being brown sugar, ketchup and dry mustard.....the measurements are always the same- a little bit of this and that and cook until it looks done 🙂
lisa
Thank you for this!! I made the recipe this evening to try out for thanksgiving tomorrow and it was wonderful 😀 One dish I will be proud to bring to our dinner. BTW I added some cranberries in addition to the poms and it was delightful 🙂 Can't wait to check out the rest of your recipes!
Jennifer
This looks incredible! I'd love to make it for Thanksgiving but I've got that pesky issue of one oven and multiple dishes that have different cooking temps. Do you think this would do well cooked the day before and heated at 350 before serving?
keepinitkind
I think that should be fine. Good luck.
Kar
The instructions are not clear. Do you mix the sauce into the sweet potatoes or just layer?
keepinitkind
You mix the sauce with the sweet potatoes and pomegranate. Then you layer the potatoes, spooning sauce over the potatoes with each layer.
Donna
I’ve never had cooked pomegranate, are they still crunchy?