Baked Yams, Apples and Canadian Bacon (or Ham)

(adapted from a recipe in The Doubleday Cookbook, vol. 1, by Jean Anderson and Elaine Hanna, 1975)

4 medium size yams, parboiled, peeled, and sliced ½” thick (about 1 lb)

2 tart apples, peeled, cored, and cut in ¼” rings (about 1 lb)

½ t salt

3 c cubed cooked ham (or 8 slices ready-to-eat Canadian bacon, cut ¼” thick)

1 t prepared hot mustard

¼ c firmly packed light brown sugar

2 T butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 375. Layer yams and apples into a buttered 2-1/2 quart casserole, sprinkling with salt as you go. Toss the ham with the mustard to coat evenly, then spread on top of yams and apples. (Or spread each slice of Canadian bacon with mustard and arrange on top, overlapping spoke fashion.) Sprinkle with brown sugar and dot with butter. Bake uncovered 30 minutes, until yams are tender and ham (or Canadian bacon) is lightly glazed. 

Sweet Potatoes

(Part of my Thanksgiving Dinner for 12 for under $50)

I fixed them very simply. I roasted them in their skins at 475 until they were soft, about half an hour or so. (Roasting them at the high temperature caramelizes them and makes them extra sweet.) I let them cool a bit, then peeled them. (The skin comes right off when they’re done.) I put them in a big bowl, added about a fourth of a cup of butter, and whipped them until they were smooth. No sugar or sweetener or marshmallows needed.