Sweet potatoes with orange-piloncillo syrup and chile de árbol

Method8 steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Rinse and scrub the sweet potatoes (3 lb). Put them in a large saucepan with fresh water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce to low and cover. Simmer for about 25–35 minutes, checking from 25 minutes, until a knife passes easily through the potatoes.

   Check sweet potato tenderness · 25 minUses 3 lb sweet potatoes · Fresh water for washing and covering the sweet potatoes in the pot, as needed

2. 2

   Step 2: Drain the cooked sweet potatoes and let them cool enough to handle. Peel and slice into rounds about ½–1 inch thick.

   Uses All cooked potatoes lifted from the pot, with cooking water left behind

3. 3

   Step 3: Remove the stems and seeds from the dried chiles if not already prepared. Preheat a dry comal or skillet over medium-low heat. Toast the chiles for about 20–30 seconds per side, until aromatic, opaque inside and lightly browned outside without burning. Let them cool enough to handle, then chop.

   Uses 4–6 dried chiles de árbol, stemmed and seeded before toasting

4. 4

   Step 4: Combine all the syrup butter (¼ cup), grated piloncillo (¾ cup), orange juice (½ cup) and lime juice (2 tbsp) in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Once the butter melts and the mixture is gently simmering, simmer for 4–5 minutes, checking from 4 minutes, until lightly syrupy.

   Check orange-piloncillo syrup · 4 minUses ½ cup orange juice, preferably fresh · 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice · ¾ cup grated piloncillo · ¼ cup unsalted butter for syrup (2 oz)

5. 5

   Step 5: Preheat the oven to 425°F / 220°C and grease a 9 × 13-inch baking dish with the separate extra butter.

   Uses Extra unsalted butter to grease the baking dish, as needed

6. 6

   Step 6: Arrange all the cooked rounds in rows in the buttered dish. Pour the prepared syrup over them, sprinkle with the toasted chopped chiles and add salt to taste from the measured allowance, using extra salt only if needed. Bake for 7½ minutes, then take the dish out to baste.

   Baste midway through the bake · 8 minUses All cooked peeled rounds from step 2 · Prepared syrup to pour over the rounds · All toasted chopped chiles from step 3 · Kosher salt from the ¼-tsp starting allowance, to taste · Extra kosher salt, only if needed to taste

7. 7

   Step 7: Spoon some of the syrup in the dish back over the sweet potatoes. Return to the oven for another 7½–12½ minutes, checking after 7½ minutes, for a total of about 15–20 minutes in the oven. Continue until the syrup thickens to your liking and the rounds have a glazed crust.

   Check glazed sweet potatoes · 8 minUses The same baking dish of rounds, chiles and syrup

8. 8

   Step 8: Serve the glazed rounds while hot as four to six side portions, spooning their orange-piloncillo syrup over them. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

   Uses Cooked glazed rounds with their syrup, to serve