SERVES 6 – 8

This recipe, passed down from Memphis cook LouElla Hill, actually uses sweet potatoes, which are often called yams in the South. True yams are usually larger than sweet potatoes and range in color from off-white to purple. Whatever you call them, these turn out buttery, sweet, and brown.

3 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2" pieces
Salt
1⁄4 lb. butter
1⁄2 cup fresh orange juice
1 tbsp. freshly grated orange zest
1⁄2 cup lightly toasted chopped pecans
2⁄3 cup brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Cook sweet potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain; place in a buttered baking dish.

2. Melt butter in a medium pan; add, orange juice, orange zest, pecans, and a pinch of salt. Pour butter sauce over yams; sprinkle brown sugar on top. Bake 30–40 minutes, stirring occasionally.