• 4 medium sweet potatoes (about 1½ pounds)
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ cup water
• 4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, cut into pieces
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Place the sweet potatoes in a large saucepan with enough water to cover, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer till the potatoes are barely tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and, when cool enough to handle, peel the potatoes, cut into ½-inch rounds, and arrange the slices overlapping in a shallow 1½-quart buttered baking dish.

In a saucepan, combine ¾ cup of the brown sugar, the cinnamon, cloves, water, and butter, bring to a simmer, stirring, and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the vanilla and stir till the syrup is well blended.

Pour the syrup evenly over the potatoes, sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of brown sugar over the top, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and bake for about 20 minutes. Uncover and continue baking till the potatoes are tender and nicely glazed, about 10 minutes, basting once with the syrup.

Serve the potatoes hot, directly from the baking dish.