Plain Baked Whole Yams Recipes

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.

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.

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.

WHOLE ROASTED YAMS WITH MAPLE-ALLSPICE BUTTER

Steps:

• Mix first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before using.)
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly pierce potatoes all over with fork. Set potatoes directly on oven rack; bake until tender when pierced with skewer, about 1 hour. Cut cross in top of each potato. Using oven mitts to protect hands, squeeze potatoes gently in from sides, forcing crosses to open. Spoon 1 tablespoon butter into each potato. Serve, passing remaining butter separately.

ROASTED YAM HALVES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Halve yams, and place, cut side up, in a shallow baking dish just large enough to hold them in a single layer. Drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Bake until golden brown and very tender, 35 to 45 minutes.

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.

WHOLE BAKED YAMS WITH SPICY MOLASSES BUTTER

Steps:

• Using electric mixer, beat first 7 ingredients in medium bowl until fluffy. (Can be prepared 1 week ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before using.)
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line large baking sheet with heavy-duty foil. Using small, sharp knife, make one 1/2-inch-deep lengthwise slit in each yam, leaving 1 inch of yam uncut at each end. Place yams on baking sheet. Bake yams until tender, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
• Cut slits across center of each yam. Press ends toward center to expose flesh. Transfer yams to platter. Spoon 1 tablespoon spiced butter into each. Pass remaining spiced butter separately.

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 SWEET POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat the bottom of a glass or non-stick baking dish with olive oil, just enough to coat.
• Wash and peel the sweet potatoes. Cut them into medium size pieces. Place the cut sweet potatoes in the baking dish and turn them so that they are coated with the olive oil. Sprinkle moderately with oregano, and salt and pepper (to taste).
• Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for 60 minutes or until soft.