Baked Yams Recipes

HOW TO BAKE A YAM

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 425°. Sweet potatoes and yams are forgiving vegetables, so you can cook them at temperatures ranging from 375-450°. This means you can place them in the oven while you cook other food.
• Line a baking pan or dish with aluminum foil. Yams tend to ooze syrupy juice, which can be difficult to clean up. Lining your pan ensures an easy clean up process. Don't wrap your yams or sweet potatoes in aluminum foil. Simply lay them on the foil.
• Wash and pierce the yams. Gently scrub the yams under cold water. Poke each yam four or five times with a fork or sharp knife. Put them in the baking dish. You can drizzle vegetable or olive oil on the yams if you choose. Rub the oil evenly over the skins. For a paleo or clean eating variation, coat the sweet potatoes or yams in coconut oil.
• Bake for approximately 1 hour. Once during cooking, turn them over. The sweet potato or yam is done when the yam is soft. Touch it with an oven mitt and test for softness. Insert a knife into the middle of the potato; it should easily glide into the potato if it's done. If it's not done, continue cooking. Another way to tell it is done is that the outside will be darker when it's done. Cooking time will vary depending upon the size of the yams. Larger yams will take longer to cook. The yams can take from 45 to 75 minutes to cook.
• Serve. Remove the yams from the pan and slice open with a knife. Serve the yam with small pats of butter. For a paleo or clean variation, cover with coconut butter and sprinkle with cinnamon or nutmeg. Another clean option is to top with maple syrup or honey. Add brown or granulated sugar and pumpkin pie spice for a sweeter taste. Add salt and pepper, paprika, or cumin for a more savory dish. Mix chili pepper with butter for a kick of spice.

ROASTED YAMS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet or shallow baking dish with aluminum foil.
• Arrange slices of potato in the prepared pan so they are overlapping slightly. Season with salt and pepper and then drizzle olive oil over them as evenly as possible.
• Bake in the preheated oven until potatoes are tender and have begun to wrinkle around the edges, about 30 minutes.

BAKED YAMS WITH SAFFRON AIOLI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Prick each yam with a fork in a few spots and arrange on a baking sheet. Bake until soft, about 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil, grapeseed oil, whole garlic cloves and saffron in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until the garlic is soft, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Remove the cooked garlic with a slotted spoon and transfer to a cutting board (reserve the infused oil). Using the flat side of a chef's knife, mash the garlic with a pinch of salt until smooth; set aside.
• Make the aioli: Put the egg yolks, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon water and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring a few inches of water to a bare simmer in a medium saucepan, then turn off the heat. Set the bowl with the egg yolks over the saucepan (do not let the bowl touch the water); whisk just until the egg mixture thickens slightly, 30 seconds to 1 minute, then remove the bowl from the saucepan. Using a hand mixer or a whisk, gradually beat in the saffron-infused oil in a slow, steady stream until the aioli is thick and creamy. (If it gets too thick, beat in 1 to 2 teaspoons water.) Mix in the mashed cooked garlic, grated fresh garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover and refrigerate.
• Remove the yams from the oven and let cool slightly. Split open and fluff the insides with a fork. Thin the aioli with water, if desired, and spoon onto the yams. Sprinkle with parsley.

PLAIN BAKED WHOLE YAMS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 Farenheit. (Test oven temperature with thermometer to make sure your oven thermostat is correct.) Scrub yams with veggie brush under running cold water. This will abrade the skin enough so you don't have to make slits in them. Place in stainless pan large enough so yams fit comfortably without crowding. It's OK if they touch. Bake for 1 ½ hours. Yams are done when the flesh has pulled away from the skin and a knife goes in very easily. The skin will look somewhat charred, but the yams will not taste burned. Turn off oven and let yams sit in oven until room temperature. If that's not practical let them sit on the counter till cool. Refrigerate in their skins several hours or overnight, till cold, in a covered glass container. Peel, slice, and serve as a side dish, dessert, or snack. They are also good warm but really come into their own when chilled. If serving warm you can add a little orange juice if you like, but when eating them cold they are best on their own.

BAKED SWEET POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees with rack in center position.
• Scrub and pat potatoes dry. Pierce potatoes all over with the tines of a fork and bake in oven, directly on rack, until soft and caramelizing, 1 1/2 hours.
• Slash the tops of potatoes open with the tip of a sharp knife and push ends of each potato toward each other to open. Divide butter, salt, and pepper among potatoes and serve.

BAKED YAMS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Prick the yams and place in oven for 30 minutes or until done. Cut in half, scoop out the yams and mash with a fork. Serve with salt, pepper and butter if desired.

BAKED CANDIED YAMS - SOUL FOOD STYLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 F.
• Wash the yams.
• Peel, then chop the yams ( make sure that they are about ½ inch thick.
• Place the yams into a 9x13 bake dish.
• Place the butter into a medium sized pot, then melt it over medium heat.
• Once the butter is melted, sprinkle in the white & brown sugar, ground cinnamon,ground nutmeg, ground ginger, and ground clove.
• Turn the stove off, mix the ingredients, then add in the vanilla extract.
• Next, cover the bake dish with foil, then bake the yams in the oven for 30 minutes.
• Pour the candied mixture over the yams, and try to coat all the yams with the candied mixture.
• Remove the yams from the oven, and baste them with the candied mixture.
• Cover the yams, and bake them for another 15-20 minutes.
• Remove the yams from the oven, and let them sit for about 10 minutes before serving.

BALSAMIC ROASTED YAMS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Place balsamic vinegar and brown sugar in a large skillet and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.
• Reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes or until the mixture thickens slightly.
• Add butter and salt and stir until butter melts.
• Add yams to the pan, stir to coat and season with black pepper.
• Spread evenly on a rimmed cookie sheet.
• Bake 40 minutes, or until yams are tender, stirring occasionally.

JACQUES PEPIN'S BAKED YAMS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove any dark spots or damaged areas from the yams and wash them thoroughly under cool water. If there are no damaged areas on the potatoes, trim them at either end or prick them (to allow steam to escape).
• Place the potatoes on a foil-lined cookie sheet and bake them for about 50 minutes, until soft and tender.
• Serve with the soy-sauce chicken.