Mama’s Praline Yams – A Southern Thanksgiving Favorite

• 4 lbs. (1.8 kg) cooked, peeled and sliced fresh yams or sweet potatoes
• 2/3 cup orange juice
• 1 tbsp. grated orange peel
• 5 tbsp. brandy
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 4 tbsp. butter (NOT margarine!), melted
• 1/3 c. brown sugar
• 3 egg yolks

In mixing bowl with the beater, beat yams until smooth. Mix in remaining ingredients, beating until mixture is light and fluffy. Butter a 12-inch quiche dish or a shallow 2-quart casserole dish (7×11). Pour yam mixture in dish, smoothing top evenly.  Make Praline Topping (recipe follows) by mixing all ingredients together in a small bowl.  Spread evenly over yams. (At this point, casserole may be refrigerated overnight, covered.)

Bake at 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving. If you double the recipe, make it in 2 separate casseroles so proportions of topping remain correct.

PRALINE TOPPING:

2/3 c. brown sugar, packed
1/4 lb. (1 stick) (~115 grams) butter, melted
1 cup chopped pecans
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

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UPDATE:  Because I know someone’s eventually gonna ask, “The difference between yams and sweet potatoes,” from the Library of Congress website.