Chef John's Candied Yams

Stir salt into 2 quarts cold water in a large pot. Transfer sweet potato pieces to pot and place over high heat; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are not quite tender but still cooked 5 to 7 minutes. Use the tip of a knife to test for doneness. Drain.

Place brown sugar butter lemon juice maple syrup ginger cinnamon cayenne and pinch of salt in a skillet. Place over medium-high heat stirring until glaze ingredients melt and start bubbling. Continue cooking stirring occasionally until mixture begins to thicken up 4 to 6 minutes.

Transfer drained sweet potatoes to skillet. Raise heat to high and cook and stir until potatoes are coated with glaze and very tender and glaze has thickened 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to serving dish; garnish with chopped nuts.