Yam and Apple Casserole with Citrus Sauce
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Recipe type: Side
Cook time: 
Total time: 
 
This is a lighter side dish to balance out the rest of the hearty Thanksgiving menu.
Ingredients
  • 3-4 regular size yams or two large ones (cooked, peeled and cut into 1 cm slices)
  • 4 Granny Smith apples (peeled, cored and sliced into 16 wedges each)
  • 1¾ cups boiling water
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 4 tablespoons cornstarch
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
  • a few dashes allspice
  • a few dashes cinnamon
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 350ºF.
  2. Layer the yam slices and apple wedges in a large casserole dish.
  3. Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt together in a saucepan. Add the boiling water a little at a time and use a whisk to prevent lumps in the corn starch. Add the butter, lemon juice and orange juice. Cook over medium heat until thickened and transparent, stirring frequently. This will take just a few minutes. You an also add a dash or two each of cinnamon and allspice before turning off the heat. Taste the sauce. Feel free to add a little more orange or lemon juice if you want a stronger citrus flavor. I usually do.
  4. Pour the sauce over the yams and apples. I like to sprinkle a bit more cinnamon and allspice right before baking.
  5. Bake for one hour. The original recipe does not specify whether this should be baked covered or uncovered. I've taken to baking uncovered for the first twenty minutes, covered for the next 20 and uncovered again for the last 20. I'm sure this is not necessary but it works for me. Enjoy!
Notes
1. Original recipe did not include spices and was printed from bhg.com in 2001.
2. Feel free to use the yam/apple proportion that you would prefer. This is a nice balance for us but if you'd like less apple, use one less than called for in the recipe.
3. A reader said that pre-cooking the yams was unnecessary but I haven't tested this method yet.
4. To prevent corn starch lumps in the glaze, whisk the mixture as you add the water to the saucepan. I add a little water at a time, whisk vigorously and never have lumps.
Recipe by Lemons + Anchovies at https://lemonsandanchovies.com/2010/11/yam-and-apple-casserole/