I am Canadian, which means two important things.

First, we are celebrating Thanksgiving this weekend rather than the end of November. Why? Thanksgiving is a harvest festival, and by late November there is a good chance we will be knee deep in snow and dealing with public service announcements to tell us how quickly we will get frostbite if we go outside.

Second, I firmly believe that there is no dish that cannot be improved by maple syrup.

These yams are sweet, like a cake with a crumble topping. They are also aggressively cheerfully orange. They are the perfect sunny offset to the many savoury dishes that find their ways onto our plates this time of year.

Makes: 1 8×8″ baking pan (easily doubled for a crowd and baked in an 8×13 pan)

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs yams or sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 inch chunks, no need to be too precise here
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1.2 – 1 tsp salt
• 2 oz chopped pecans
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar

Directions:

1. Butter or oil baking sheet
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees f
3. Boil yams for about 15 minutes, until they are very easily pierced with a fork
4. Drain and let cool slightly
5. In a stand mixer, mix yams, eggs, thyme, maple syrup and salt – the yams should break down into a mashed potato consistency, a few small lumps are fine
6. Spread the yam “batter” evenly in the baking dish
7. In a bowl, combine the pecans, butter and brown sugar, and use a fork to mix them into a crumbly mess
8. Sprinkle the pecan mixture evenly over top of the yam mixture
9. Bake 30-40 minutes, until the top crisps up and the edges are bubbly

Notes:

• This can be made ahead and baked shortly before serving – just keep the topping and the yam mixture separate until you are ready to bake
• This is not a picky recipe – if you have to tuck this into the oven with a bunch of other things and the door is opening and closing, it isn’t going to mind, you may just need to increase the baking time