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Camote Enmielado (Mexican Sweet Potatoes in Piloncillo Syrup)

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

For the Camote

  • 2 pounds sweet potatoes (camote) peeled, cut into 1 ½-inch rounds or wedges

For the Piloncillo Syrup

  • 8 ounces piloncillo cone broken into pieces, or 1 ¼ cups packed dark brown sugar plus 1 tablespoon molasses
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 sticks Mexican cinnamon (canela)
  • 2 whole cloves
  • 1 whole star anise optional
  • 2 strips orange peel optional
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

To Serve (Optional)

  • cold whole milk or vanilla ice cream

Instructions

Prep the Camote

  • Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into 1 ½-inch thick rounds or wedges, keeping the pieces roughly the same size. Thick pieces are important, thin ones fall apart in the syrup.

Make the Piloncillo Syrup

  • Combine the broken piloncillo, water, cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, orange peel and salt in a wide heavy pot.
  • Bring to a simmer over medium heat and stir occasionally until the piloncillo has completely dissolved, 8 to 10 minutes.

Simmer and Glaze

  • Lay the camote pieces into the syrup in a single layer. The liquid should come most of the way up the pieces without covering them. Add a splash of water if needed.
  • Simmer uncovered over low heat for 50 to 70 minutes. Do not stir with a spoon: swirl the pot or spoon syrup over the tops every 15 minutes.
  • The camote is done when a knife slides in with no resistance and the syrup coats the back of a spoon in a slow ribbon.
  • Remove from the heat, baste the pieces a few more times, and rest 20 minutes so they absorb syrup and turn glossy.
  • Remove the cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise and orange peel. Serve warm in shallow bowls with the syrup spooned over, with cold milk poured around if you like.

Notes

  • Piloncillo substitute: 1 ¼ cups packed dark brown sugar plus 1 tablespoon molasses.
  • Use canela, not cassia. Mexican cinnamon is pale and soft, and it tastes far better here than hard supermarket cinnamon sticks.
  • Cook uncovered. A lid stops the syrup from reducing and leaves you with thin sweet water.
  • Thin syrup: Lift the camote out and boil the liquid down 5 to 8 minutes on its own, then pour it back over.
  • Too thick: Piloncillo syrup sets hard when overcooked. Stir in a tablespoon or two of hot water off the heat.
  • Storage: Keep it in its syrup, airtight, up to 5 days refrigerated. The leftover syrup is excellent in coffee or over ice cream.