These are my mother’s Thanksgiving Day sweet potatoes that we would eat starting Thanksgiving Thursday and work our way through them (with the rest of the leftovers) until Monday. Like anything “old-school,” it takes you back to a time when simpler meant better. And nothing is simpler than popping open a can of ginger ale and scattering some brown sugar and butter to cook into a sweet syrup. To yield uniform wedges of potatoes so that they cook evenly, bring your potato to me and watch closely: Cut the potato in half lengthwise, then cut those halves in half, crosswise (if you have an extra-large potato, cut the pieces in half lengthwise one more time). Cutting this way ensures uniform wedges and maximum yield. It’s old-school big love magic.
SERVES 4 TO 6
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 8 to 10 uniform wedges each (see headnote)
One 12 fl oz [355 ml] can ginger ale
Packed 1/4 cup [50 g] dark brown sugar
1/2 cup [110 g] butter, diced
Preheat the oven to 375°F [190°C].
In a roasting pan, combine the sweet potatoes and ginger ale. Sprinkle the potatoes with the brown sugar and dot with the butter. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until the potatoes can be pierced easily with a fork, about 20 minutes. Uncover the pan and return it to the oven to cook until the ginger ale and brown sugar reduce by half and get syrupy and your house smells like Thanksgiving Day, another 20 minutes. Serve immediately. Transfer to an airtight container and store in your refrigerator for up to 4 days.