Best Sweet Potatoes Ever just like gran used to make ! Candied Sweet Potatoes are one of the best side dishes ever with a light cinnamon flavor.
Hands down the BEST Sweet Potato side dish around ! No mashing going around here, instead candied, cubes of Sweet Potatoes.
This is a typical Boerekos dish, which really means – traditional South-African food.
My granny used to make this regularly and it was one of my favorites, as in forever.
Unfortunately, I never got hold of my granny’s recipe (which was in her head – as all her recipes were, actually).
I have tried to make something similar for years, but it just never turned out the way I remembered it as a child.
When I bought the recipe book Seasonal Menus by Annette Human, many years ago, this was one of the first recipes which caught my eye. And as they say – there was no stopping me from thereon.
It is exactly the same as I remembered my granny’s sweet potatoes ! I make this so often, as it is an immediate hit with everyone.
When my kids were little, they actually thought it was dessert served on the same plate as their food !
More side dish recipes you might like:
Best Sweet Potatoes Ever
Best Sweet Potatoes Ever
Best Sweet Potatoes Ever just like gran used to make ! Candied Sweet Potatoes are one of the best side dishes ever with a light cinnamon flavor.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons Butter
- 2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
- 900 grams Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cubed (2 pounds)
- 3/4 cup Water
- 1 cup Soft Brown Sugar (I always use Muscovado for this dish)
- 1/4 cup Lemon Juice
- 1 TB Golden Syrup (Treacle or Maple Syrup as an alternative)
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
Instructions
1.) Melt the Butter in a large saucepan – add the Oil and stir
2.) Add the Sweet Potatoes, Water, Brown Sugar, Lemon Juice, Syrup, Cinnamon and Salt – gentle stir-through and cover
3.) Simmer over low heat for 2 hours – shake the saucepan now and then, but do not stir
4.) Once the Sweet Potatoes are soft and very syrup-py, it is ready
Notes
- Cooking time might vary depending on the size of your Sweet Potato cubes - I cut mine into about 20mm x 20mm (a little under an inch square)
Nutrition Information
Yield 6Amount Per Serving Calories 486.5Total Fat 16.6gSaturated Fat 10.6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 31.1mgSodium 213.9mgCarbohydrates 83.3gFiber 3.4gSugar 7.1gProtein 2.5g
Nutrition value is not always accurate. Please also check your ingredient labels.
ps: I have had it cold with whipped cream a few times and loved it! So, you might even want to serve this as a dessert 😉
Mel
Saturday 15th of July 2023
Yummy Yummy Yummy... The family loved it. And yes, it is lekker boerekos.
JBurger
Friday 27th of July 2018
Here (in SA) we like to allow the sweetpotatos(soet patats) to "burn" slightly.. (dit moet so bietjie vas brand) It caramalises into almost a toffee layer inbetween the soft sweet pumpkin... Divine... Your recepe sounds awesome.. Will try it!
Linda Bouffard
Thursday 12th of September 2013
Terrific.
Diana - FreeStyleMama
Wednesday 11th of September 2013
I need to get my eyes checked because I read the link as Worst instead of best. Silly me...if it were the worst then why would I click it? Haha!
JoAnn @ SweetPepperRose
Sunday 8th of September 2013
Glad you posted this recipe... I have seven sweet potatoes from our garden that need cooking. I was looking for sweet potato bread recipes and found one, and I think I have enough left over for this recipe. Thanks for sharing!