Five-Spice Glazed Sweet Potatoes with Walnut Toffee

By Tamipri

Ingredients

• Crunchy Walnut Toffee:
• 6 lb. orange sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and cut into 2" chunks
• 1 c. light brown sugar
• 6 Tb. unsalted butter
• 2 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder
• 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• salt
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. water
• 2 Tb. light corn syrup
• 2 Tb. unsalted butter
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 c. walnuts, coarsely chopped

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the sweet potato chunks in two 9x13" baking dishes. Add 1 cup of water to each dish, cover with foil and bake for about 25 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are barely tender. Pour off any remaining water from the baking dishes.

2. In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar with the butter, five-spice powder and nutmeg and cook over mederate heat until the butter is melted and the mixture is bubbling, about 4 minutes. Pour the mixture over the potatoes, stir to coat and season with salt. Bake for about 10 minutes, basting a few times, until the potatoes are tender and nicely glazed. Sprinkle the walnut toffee over the potatoes and serve.

MAKE AHEAD: The glazed sweet potatoes can be refrigerated overnight. Reheat before topping and serve.

For the Crunchy Walnut Toffee: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, water, corn syrup, and butter and bring to a simmer. Cook over moderate heat, swirling the pan a few times, until a light caramel forms, about 4 minutes. Stir in the baking soda and salt. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the walnuts. Quickly spread the toffee on the prepared baking sheet as thinly as possible. Let cool completely. Break into pieces and serve.