Ingredients
- 900 g orange-fleshed sweet potatoes about 2 lb; skin on
- 225 g piloncillo about 8 oz; weigh the cone
- 1 Mexican cinnamon stick about 3 inches long
- 4 cups water 960 ml, plus a splash if needed
Equipment
- Wide heavy 4-quart pot with lid
- Knife and cutting board
- Vegetable brush
- Measuring jug and kitchen scale
- Heatproof spoon and slotted spoon
Instructions
- Scrub the sweet potatoes under running water, trim the ends and cut into roughly 2-inch chunks, leaving the skins on. Cut very wide pieces in half so they are similar in size.
- Put the piloncillo, cinnamon stick and 4 cups water in a wide heavy 4-quart pot. Bring to a gentle boil, then simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves, about 10 minutes.
- Add the sweet potato chunks carefully to the hot syrup. Cover and simmer gently for 25–35 minutes, turning the pieces once with a spoon, until a small knife slides through the largest piece easily. Check the pot occasionally; add a splash of water if the liquid reduces too much before the potatoes soften.
- Lift the tender pieces onto a plate with a slotted spoon if the syrup is still thin. Simmer the liquid uncovered for 5–15 minutes, until it lightly coats a spoon, watching closely toward the end. Do not reduce it to sticky candy; it thickens further as it cools. Cooking time varies with pot width and heat.
- Return the sweet potatoes to the syrup and spoon the syrup gently over them without vigorous stirring. Remove the cinnamon stick. Rest off the heat for 5 minutes, then divide into six portions and serve warm with as much of the syrup as you like.
Nutrition
Serving: 1of 6 servingsCalories: 279kcalCarbohydrates: 67.7gProtein: 2.4gFat: 0.1gSodium: 83mgPotassium: 506mgFiber: 4.5gSugar: 43.8g
Notes
Timing: Allow roughly 65 minutes, with additional time if your syrup needs longer to reduce. Tenderness and syrup consistency are more reliable than a fixed clock.
Substitution: Use 225 g dark brown sugar instead of piloncillo if needed. Optional cloves, orange zest, milk and yogurt discussed in the article are not in the base recipe or estimates.
Storage: Refrigerate in shallow covered containers within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F. Keep at 40°F or below for 3–4 days. Reheat portions to 165°F, adding a little water to loosen the syrup.
Nutrition: Estimated per sixth of the recipe using raw sweet-potato composition and approximately 4 calories per gram of piloncillo. Assumes all syrup is consumed; cinnamon is removed. Values vary by variety and actual syrup portion.
Cost: Estimated US$3.85 total, or US$0.64 per serving, using prorated sweet potatoes and piloncillo plus a small cinnamon allowance. Excludes tax, energy, delivery and unused package contents.
Recipe style: This is a Mexican-style stovetop sweet-potato dessert made with piloncillo and cinnamon. It is not the firm, shaped sweet-potato candy also known as camotes.
