Maple-Glazed Yams with Pecan Topping

4 lbs of yams (red-skinned sweet potatoes), peeled, cut into 1/4 inch rounds
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
8 Tbsp (1 stick) chilled butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1 Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter a 13x9x2 inch glass baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add yams. Cook until water returns to a simmer, about 4 minutes. Drain; rinse in cold water.

2 Arrange yams in baking dish, overlapping pieces. Sprinkle with salt. Pour maple syrup over yams. Dot with 3 Tbsp of butter. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until yams are almost tender, about 25 minutes.

3 Mix flour and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Add remaining 5 Tbsp of butter. Rub in with fingers until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Mix in pecans.

4 Sprinkle pecan mixture over yams. Bake yams until tender, about 20 minutes.

Serves 12.

Note: can be made ahead. For this batch I did steps 1-3 the night before. The next day I brought the yams to room temperature in the microwave, sprinkled the mixture over the top, and baked in the oven for 20 minutes.