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Sweet + Sour Yams

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Preheat the oven to 350°F [180°C]. Line a baking sheet with foil.
In a large bowl, toss 1½ lb [680 g] yams, peeled and cut into ½ in
[13 mm] cubes, with 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil and fine sea salt.
Spread on the prepared baking sheet. Cover with a second layer of foil
and crimp the edges to form a tight seal. Bake for 30 minutes. Flip the
yam pieces with a silicone spatula (don’t bother with a pair of kitchen
tongs; there are too many pieces to turn). Bake, uncovered, for
another 30 to 45 minutes, until golden brown and crisp. Remove and
transfer to a serving bowl.

While the yams roast, add to a blender or food processor ½ cup
[100 g] packed light brown sugar, ½ cup [120 ml] rice vinegar, 1 cup
[210 g] diced pineapple, 1 tsp fish sauce or liquid aminos, 2 Tbsp fresh
lime juice, and 1 tsp red pepper flakes (use a hot variety). Pulse at
high speed until smooth. Taste and season with fine sea salt. Transfer
the sauce to a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high
heat. Remove from the heat, pour the hot sauce over the hot cooked
yams, and fold to coat.

Garnish with 2 scallions, both white and green parts, thinly sliced;
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro; and zest of 1 lime. Serve immediately.
Store leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
I kept working on a way to make sweet, candied yams, but they just
didn’t taste as right as they do when made with sweet potatoes. The
more I tried, the more I felt I tried too hard, and I eventually concluded
that the candied dish works beautifully with sweet potatoes because
sweet potatoes are naturally sweet. It’s a completely different story when
fruity, sour flavors come in with a bit of heat and sweetness, as here.

Enter vinegar, pineapples, and hot red pepper. This is a good side for
cooler weather but also at home at a summer barbecue.

THE COOK’S NOTES

If you can’t find yams, swap in russet potatoes or carrots. Sweet
potatoes will also work.

The yams will become firm when roasted, and once the hot yams
meet the sauce, they will suck up almost all the liquid like a sponge.

Use a hot variety of red pepper flakes here, not the gentler Aleppo,
Maras, or Urfa.

The acids from the vinegar and pineapple give the sauce the much
needed dose of sharpness to counterbalance the sweetness.

For my friends who like things saucier in life, double the quantity of
the sauce. Use the amount listed in the recipe and then serve the
extra on the side.



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The Morning Glory Family

CONVOLVULACEAE

Origins

SWEET POTATOES HAIL FROM CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA.

Sweet Potatoes

While sweet potatoes are sometimes referred to as yams, they’re
not the same thing. They come from different plants; yams are not
sweet like sweet potatoes (I find them closer in taste to potatoes),
and cooked sweet potatoes have a smoother texture. My general
rule of thumb is to avoid swapping these two ingredients in recipes;
you’re better off using yams in recipes calling for potatoes or yucca.

Storage

Store sweet potatoes in a dark, dry, and cool spot in your kitchen.
Sometimes sweet potatoes can start to produce little shoots with
leaves. Remove the shoots and cook.

Cooking Tips

Sweet potatoes come in a variety of colors: orange, white, and
purple. The Okinawa or Hawaiian sweet potato with purple
flesh is often confused with the purple yam tuber.

There is a myth that sweet potatoes will burst in the oven if
roasted without pricking. This is untrue: The skin of sweet
potatoes can breathe and is not a tight waterproof type of skin
like that of eggplant. Roast whole, unpricked sweet potatoes

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Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Guajillo Chilli Salsa

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Preheat the oven to 400°F [200°C]. Line a baking sheet with foil.
In a large bowl, toss together 2 large sweet potatoes, cut into 1 in
[2.5 cm] chunks; 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; and fine sea salt to coat
well. Spread in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and roast
for 25 to 30 minutes, until the sweet potatoes turn golden brown and
are tender on the inside, rotating the baking sheet halfway through
roasting. Remove and transfer to a serving plate.

While the sweet potatoes roast, prepare the salsa. In a small
saucepan, bring to a rolling boil 1 cup [240 ml] water; 2
dried guajillo chillies, stalks and seeds removed and
discarded; 1 Tbsp fresh oregano; 1 Tbsp fresh thyme; 1 tsp
cumin seeds; and 1 tsp whole black peppercorns. Turn down
the heat to low and simmer until the liquid is reduced to ½
cup [120 ml]. Transfer to a blender and rinse the pan.


Guajillo Chilli Salsa

Roast 1 large red bell pepper and 1 peeled shallot directly
over the burner flame of a gas stove until the outsides begin
to char. If you don’t own a gas stove, sear the vegetables in a
dry skillet or roast them in an oven by broiling on high,
rotating often, until they start to blister all over, 7 to 12
minutes.

Core the bell pepper and discard the stalk and seeds. Remove
some but not all of the burnt skin. Add the bell pepper and
shallot to the blender. Pulse on high speed until the mixture
turns smooth and creamy. Transfer to the rinsed saucepan
and cook over low heat until the mixture reduces in volume
to about ¾ cup [180 g]. Remove from the heat, taste, and
season with 1 tsp lime juice and fine sea salt.

Top the roasted sweet potatoes with ⅓ cup [80 ml] of the salsa, then
top with 2 Tbsp crème fraîche or sour cream. It should melt and turn
buttery. Garnish with 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro.

Serve immediately with the extra salsa on the side. Leftovers can be
stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

****

Sweet potatoes are a vegetable that are best cooked by methods that
bring out the sweetness but also play with the sugars’ ability to
caramelize. Enter roasting, a simple yet efficient technique that takes full
advantage of the innate goodness hidden inside sweet potatoes and
reveals their glorious flavor. This guajillo chilli salsa is served with a heap
of crème fraîche that melts away to give a tangy, buttery taste. This salsa
is also fantastic on its own when served with nachos, tortilla chips, tacos,
and so on—you get the picture. You need to make it often.

Guajillo chillies are considered a mild chilli. Larger varieties are
milder in heat but richer in flavor than the smaller ones, which are
slightly hotter. Dried chipotle chillies can also be used here, but
they’re hotter, so watch out!

Leave the sweet potatoes unpeeled or peel them; it’s up to you. I
like the skin on.

Boiling the dried guajillo chilli in water along with the spices helps
hydrate and soften the fruit.

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Kung Pao Sweet Potatoes

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

In a wok or large skillet over high heat, warm 2 Tbsp neutral oil with a
high smoke point such as grapeseed. When the oil begins to shimmer,
add 1½ lb [680 g] orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
into ¼ in [6 mm] cubes, and stir-fry until golden brown and tender, 7 to
9 minutes. Lower the heat if they start to turn too dark. Season with
fine sea salt and ¼ tsp ground black pepper. Transfer the sweet
potatoes with a slotted spoon to a large plate or bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together ¼ cup [60 ml] Shaoxing wine or dry
sherry, 1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce, 2 tsp toasted sesame oil, 1 tsp
Chinese black vinegar, 1 tsp cornstarch, 1 tsp ground Sichuan
peppercorns, and ½ tsp sugar to form a smooth sauce.

Wipe out the wok or skillet and heat 2 Tbsp neutral oil with a high
smoke point such as grapeseed over high heat. When the oil begins to
shimmer, add 10 to 12 whole dried red chillies such as chilli de árbol,
stems and seeds removed and discarded, cut into ½ in [13 mm] pieces,
and stir-fry for 15 to 30 seconds, until fragrant and the chillies turn
bright red and start to expand. Add 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced, and
2 in [5 cm] piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut lengthwise into thin
slices, and stir-fry for 30 seconds, until fragrant.

Return the sweet potatoes to the wok. Drizzle the sauce over the
sweet potatoes and stir-fry until it thickens and the sweet potatoes are
completely coated, 30 seconds. Add ½ cup [70 g] roasted unsalted
whole peanuts and 4 scallions, both white and green parts, cut into ½
in [13 mm] long pieces, and stir for 1 minute. Remove from the heat,
taste, and season with fine sea salt. Transfer to a serving bowl and
serve immediately. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in
the refrigerator for up to 3 days. There are two foods that my husband,
Michael, is extremely fond of: kung pao chicken and sweet potatoes.
I’ve combined his love for both in this classic Chinese dish from the
Sichuan province. Unlike the chicken, which is usually battered and
fried, the sweet potatoes are stir-fried to bring out their sweet caramel
flavor and then tossed with the sauce.

Serve this warm with plain rice.

THE COOK’S NOTES

The orange-fleshed sweet potatoes look much nicer in this dish, but
the white ones also work.

Sweet potatoes are rich in sugar, so you need to keep a watchful eye
on them, as they can quickly burn and turn black and bitter.

Shaoxing wine can be found online and in Asian grocery stores. A
dry sherry is a good alternative.

Chinese black vinegar, made with glutinous rice and malt, can be
found online and in Asian markets and it’s worth seeking out.
Believe me, once you try it, you’ll always want to keep it stocked in
your pantry.

Be vigilant and don’t overcook the sweet potatoes and chillies; they
both burn fast and will turn bitter.


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Sesame Sweet Potatoes + Gochujang Chicken

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Use a knife to make two or three gashes across the skin side and
through the flesh of 4 to 6 chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on (total
weight about 2 lb [910 g]). The cuts do not need to pass all the way
through the chicken.

In a large bowl, combine ¼ cup [60 ml] hot water, 2 Tbsp
gochujang paste, 2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger, 2 Tbsp apple cider
vinegar, 1 Tbsp honey, 1 Tbsp neutral oil with a high smoke point such
as grapeseed, and ½ tsp fine sea salt. Mix until smooth. Add the
chicken thighs and toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and
up to 1 hour to allow the flavor to infuse the chicken.

While the chicken marinates, preheat the oven to 400°F [200°C].
Line two rimmed baking sheets with foil, one for the chicken and the
other for the sweet potatoes.

Place 2 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut in half
lengthwise, cut side up on one of the prepared baking sheets. Drizzle
with 2 Tbsp sesame oil. Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp sesame seeds, ½ tsp
ground black pepper, and fine sea salt. Cover with a second sheet of
foil and fold the edges to form a tight seal. Roast for 30 minutes,
remove the foil cover, rotate the pan halfway, and continue to roast,
uncovered.

At this point, remove the chicken thighs from the marinade, letting
the extra marinade drip off, then place them on the second baking
sheet and roast on another rack.

Continue roasting the sweet potatoes until they are cooked
thoroughly and tender (a knife should slide easily through the center),
an additional 10 to 20 minutes. Remove the sweet potatoes from the
oven and set them aside.

Roast the chicken until the skin is crisp and the internal temperature
reaches 165°F [74°C] on an instant-read thermometer, for a total of 30
to 45 minutes. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes. Before serving,
garnish with 2 Tbsp chopped chives or scallion. Serve immediately or
while still warm.

This is a sheet pan meal, one that I turn to often not only during the week
but also when we entertain. It’s sweet and spicy, with gochujang and
sesame doing all the work for you. This is one of those recipes that
requires minimal effort and planning, and I file it under the category of
“Minimal Work and the Cook Still Looks Ravishing” (which I wish also
applied to my morning skin care routine).

THE COOK’S NOTES

Gochujang, a staple in Korean cooking, is a gloriously red chilli
paste made from fermented soybeans, glutinous rice, sweeteners,
and salt. The degree of heat and sweetness vary by brand. This
recipe works great on an outdoor grill, which gives a nice
smoky, charred flavor.

Because gochujang contains sugar, watch the chicken carefully as it
cooks, or it could burn. If you’re starting to see too much color,
lower the temperature to 375°F [190°C] and adjust your cooking
time as needed.

All the above from "Veg-Table" by Nick Sharma
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/115575060-veg-table



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