Cranberried Sweet Potatoes

My mom used to make a casserole she called cranberried sweet potatoes for me that I love, love, loved as a kid. When I was in seventh grade Mr. Hinkle, the technology teacher at Memorial Middle School and also the resident Piney, made us all bring in a dish made with cranberries, and that was dish I chose bring. I've never been able to replicate it, or get the recipe from my mom [update: I now have my mom's recipe!], but the following recipe is one that worked out pretty well for me, and it also contains cranberries and sweet potatoes.

Ingredients
4 Large Sweet Potatoes
6 T. Butter
One bag or about 2 1/2 C. Fresh Cranberries
1/2 C. Orange Juice
4 - 6 T. Sugar

Method
Peel and chop up the sweet potatoes into about 1-inch or so cubes. Boil 30 - 45 minutes until soft. Drain the water off the potatoes, reserving a little--maybe 1/2 a cup or so. While the potatoes are still very hot, throw the butter in and mash it all up with a potato masher. Add a little of the reserved potato water as needed to get a nice consistency. (You can also use milk or orange juice to do this if you like.)

While the potatoes are boiling, heat the orange juice on a sauce pan until it boils and reduces by about half. Mix the reduced orange juice, sugar, and cranberries together in a bowl.

When your potatoes are mashed, spread half of them in a 2-quart casserole dish. Layer on one-half of the cranberries, then the other half of the potatoes, then the rest of the cranberries. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, until the cranberries are hot and bursting.

You can sprinkle some walnuts on top for the last ten minutes of baking, if you like. Serve piping hot.