Cranberry and Rum Glazed Sweet Potatoes

I’ve never been a big fan of cranberry sauce, jelly, or even yams by themselves, but I still wanted to incorporate them into our Thanksgiving dinner. I made this dish last year and I’m so glad that I did! it was a huge hit and now a staple for our Thanksgiving meal. Caramelized in brown sugar, cinnamon, and Sailor Jerry Rum, this will quickly become a favorite of yours too!

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Recipe adapted from Chef Marcia Kiesel

Ingredients:

4lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ¼ inch thick disks

1 cup water

4 Tbs unsalted butter, melted

2 Tbs Sailor Jerry Rum

Salt and cracked black pepper to taste

1 cup cranberries

1/3 cup brown sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C) and butter a large shallow baking dish.

(1.) Arrange the sweet potato slices in the dish, slightly overlapping each other. (2.) Pour ½ cup of water over the sweet potatoes, cover with foil, and bake for 40 minutes or until just tender. Remove from oven, position a rack in the upper third of the oven and change temperature to 425 degrees F (218 degrees C). (3.) In a small bowl, mix melted butter and rum. (4.) Spoon mixture over the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper and bake uncovered for 25 minutes.

(5.) While waiting on the potatoes, combine cranberries, remaining ½ cup of water, and brown sugar in a small sauce pan. (6.) Boil over medium-high heat for 7-10 minutes or until cranberries start to burst. (7.) Drain the cranberries and save liquid in a separate bowl. Set cooked cranberries aside. (8.) Stir the cinnamon and cayenne pepper into cranberry liquid and spoon it over sweet potatoes.

Place dish back in the oven and cook for another 20 minutes. Basting every 5 minutes with liquid in the pan. This will give them a nice glaze and keep the potatoes from drying out. During the last 5 minutes of baking, scatter the reserved cranberries over the top. I like to add a handful of fresh cranberries as well.