Lemon Glazed Sweet Potatoes - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 lemon
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
4 tablespoons butter
3 lbs sweet potatoes
thyme leaves (optional) or fresh parsley, chopped for garnish (optional)

Preparation

Zest lemon and set aside; squeeze juice from lemon and also set aside (you should have about 4 tablespoons).
In a small saucepan, simmer 3/4 cup water with sugar and salt, stirring until sugar dissolves; remove from heat and add lemon juice, pepper, nutmeg, and 2 tablespoons of butter.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and grease a 10 inch circular or 8 x 10 inch casserole pan with butter.
Peel sweet potatoes and cut into 1/8 to 1/2 inch thick slices.
Arrange potato slices, in overlapping layers, bearing in mind that they will shrink and soften a little when they cook.
Pour over the lemon syrup, dot with remaining butter, cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake until tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Remove foil, turn oven up to 450 degrees F and bake until most of the liquid has evaporated and potatoes begin to brown slightly on top, 10 to 25 minutes.
Sprinkle with lemon zest and thyme or parsley, if desired.