Holiday Sweet Potatoes And Apples

6 medium sized sweet potatoes (about 3 1/2 pounds)
1 teaspoon salt
water
3/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed to measure
1 1/2 cups orange juice
2 tablespoons coarsely grated orange peel
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large tart apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices

Scrub the potatoes under cold running water. Place clean potatoes in a large pot. Add 1 teaspoon salt and water to cover. Bring the water to a boil then reduce the heat so the potatoes can simmer for about 25 minutes or until they are tender.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the potatoes from the boiling water, let drain and cool. Peel the skin from the potatoes and cut them into 1/2 inch thick slices.

Preheat oven to 400*

In a medium sized skillet, melt the butter over a medium heat. Add brown sugar, orange juice, orange peel, ginger and salt. Bring this mixture to a boil, stirring constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved. Simmer for 10 minutes, uncovered until the syrup is thick.

Add apple slices to orange sauce. Simmer and stir occasionally to turn apple slices in sauce for about 5 minutes or until apples are just tender. Remove the apples from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Spray a 2 quart shallow baking dish with a non stick vegetable oil. Then alternately arrange the sweet potato and apple slices in rows. Spoon half of the orange syrup evenly over the sweet potatoes and apples. Reserve the remaining syrup. Cover potatoes and apples with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove foil from dish and add remaining syrup. Return dish to oven and bake, uncovered for about 15 to 20 minutes or until potatoes and apples are well glazed and very tender. Serve immediately.

Serves 8