Yams With Lemon Food

CHEF JOHN'S CANDIED YAMS

Steps:

• Stir salt into 2 quarts cold water in a large pot. Transfer sweet potato pieces to pot and place over high heat; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are not quite tender but still cooked, 5 to 7 minutes. Use the tip of a knife to test for doneness. Drain.
• Place brown sugar, butter, lemon juice, maple syrup, ginger, cinnamon, cayenne, and pinch of salt in a skillet. Place over medium-high heat, stirring until glaze ingredients melt and start bubbling. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until mixture begins to thicken up, 4 to 6 minutes.
• Transfer drained sweet potatoes to skillet. Raise heat to high and cook and stir until potatoes are coated with glaze and very tender, and glaze has thickened, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to serving dish; garnish with chopped nuts.

YAMS WITH LEMON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F
• Place the yams in a covered baking dish with just enough water to coat the bottom of the pan.
• Bake for 45-50 minutes or until tender.
• Sprinkle the lemon juice and parsley over yams. Salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve.

SWEET POTATOES BAKED WITH LEMON

Steps:

• Rinse the potatoes under warm water. Place in a large pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are just tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Drain and let cool.
• Combine the sugar, ½ cup water, nutmeg, lemon zest and salt in a medium saucepan, bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 10 minutes. Add 5 tablespoons butter and stir well. When the butter has melted, remove from the heat and beat in the lemon juice. Set aside.
• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Peel the sweet potatoes and slice into 1/2-inch disks. Use the remaining tablespoon of butter to grease a shallow baking dish. Lay the sweet potatoes in the dish in a single layer and pour the lemon syrup on top. Bake until bubbling hot, 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.

CANDIED YAMS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Peel and halve the yams crosswise. Cut each half lengthwise into 4 wedges.
• Place the yams in a baking dish that will hold them in a snug single layer.
• Tuck the orange zest and cinnamon sticks among the yams.
• In a bowl, whisk together the orange juice, maple syrup, oil, lemon juice, ginger, and salt. (Note: if you're using butter, omit it in this step, but dot the assembled casserole with small pieces of it before it goes into the oven.) Pour the mixture over the yams.
• Bake for 1 1/4 hours, basting every 15 minutes, until the yams are tender and glazed and the pan juices are syrupy.
• Remove the orange zest and cinnamon sticks before serving.

SOUTHERN YAMS WITH ORANGES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Peel and slice the cooked potatoes very thin and place one layer in butter baking dish. top with a layer of orange slices, dot with butter, and sprinkle with sugar. Continue layering until you have 3 layers, ending with potatoes, butter, and then sugar.
• Mix the orange juice and lemon juice together; pour over and bake 1-1/2 hours.

THANKSGIVING YAMS

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, mix the sweet potatoes, butter and lemon juice. Break the gingersnap cookies into the mixture. Stirring occasionally, cook until thick, about 15 minutes.
• Cover the mixture with desired quantity of marshmallows. Remove from heat and cover 5 minutes, or until marshmallows have melted. Serve warm.

ROASTED YAMS WITH CITRUS AND CORIANDER BUTTER

Steps:

• Stir coriander seeds in small skillet over medium-high heat until darkened in color and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Cool seeds; grind in spice mill or enclose in plastic bag and crush finely with mallet. Place seeds in small bowl. Mix in butter, sugar, orange peel, and lemon peel. Season butter with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and chill.)
• Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 375°F. Spray heavy large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Toss yams and olive oil in large bowl to coat. Spread yams in single layer on prepared sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until tender and golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate on sheet.)
• Drop butter onto yams in small dollops. Roast until heated through, glazed, and browned, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes (or 25 minutes if refrigerated). Season with salt and pepper. Mound in bowl; sprinkle with parsley.