This yam casserole is a classy replacement for the marshmallow-covered casserole that accompanies many Thanksgiving dinners. My grandmother, Polly, has been bringing this casserole to Thanksgiving dinner for years and I simply had to have the recipe. She had several apricot trees in her yard and would use her own dried apricots for this dish. The following note was on the recipe she gave me:

Years ago I used to send our own dried apricots to friends on the east Coast. One recipient, in her thank-you note, always mentioned the casserole she made annually for a church dinner and how her friends always looked for that contribution. I asked her for the recipe—which made enough for twenty people!—and have cut the proportions down to family-size. Enjoy!

In the USA, some sweet potato varieties are actually labeled as yams. For this recipe, look for red garnet "yams", but any sweet potato or yam variety should work.

6 medium-to-large red garnet yams
1 cup pecans (broken or halves)
1 cup dried Blenheim apricots

Sauce
1 can apricot nectar (11.5 oz)
juice of 2 oranges (1/2 cup)
1 1/2 cups cold water
2 Tbsp. butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. corn starch
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
zest of one orange

Using a fork, prick several holes in each unpeeled yam. Bake whole yams in an oven preheated to 400° F for about 1 hour or until a paring knife easily pierces the center of a yam (this step can be done the day before). If you have yams of varying sizes, remove smaller ones that are done to let the larger ones continue cooking. You don't want them to be too soft as they will continue to cook a little when you remove from oven.

While the yams are cooling, dissolve the corn starch in the cold water until fully dissolved. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently. Once the mixture comes to a boil, continue boiling until the sauce thickens (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and pour in the apricots and pecans.

Peel the cooled yams and cut into big chunks. Depending on the yams, you may need to also use a knife to slice off the outer layer beneath the skin. Cut away any discolored areas and then slice the yams into good sized chunks. Arrange the yams in a deep, 9x12 casserole dish. Pour the apricot sauce over the yams in the casserole dish, distributing the apricots and pecans throughout the yams.

Place the casserole dish over a jelly roll pan and bake at 350° F for about 20-25 minutes or until heated through and bubbly.