This recipe was created for my ten-year-old friend and cooking student, Evan Chender, who used it for his Thanksgiving feast one year. Fresh ginger really spices up the sweet, meltingly tender yams.

　　

Ingredients

Yield: 4 servings

　　2 pounds garnet yams or sweet potatoes

　　3 (2-inch) strips orange zest, white, spongy pith removed

　　2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half

　　1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

　　1/3 cup pure maple syrup

　　2 tablespoons pure olive oil, light sesame oil, or unsalted butter

　　1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

　　2 teaspoons peeled and finely chopped ginger root

　　1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

　　

Step 2

Peel and halve the yams crosswise. Cut each half lengthwise into 4 wedges.

　　

Step 3

Place the yams in a baking dish that will hold them in a snug single layer.

　　

Step 4

Tuck the orange zest and cinnamon sticks among the yams.

　　

Step 5

In a bowl, whisk together the orange juice, maple syrup, oil, lemon juice, ginger, and salt. (Note: if you're using butter, omit it in this step, but dot the assembled casserole with small pieces of it before it goes into the oven.) Pour the mixture over the yams.

　　

Step 6

Bake for 1 1/4 hours, basting every 15 minutes, until the yams are tender and glazed and the pan juices are syrupy.

　　

Step 7

Remove the orange zest and cinnamon sticks before serving.

　　The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen