Yammering On

Did you know that yams and sweet potatoes are not the same? Both are tubers, and look similar in shape, size and color, but yams are sweeter than sweet potatoes, and that’s not where the differences end! Did you know that some types of sweet potatoes are not even sweet after they’ve been cooked?

There are over 150 varieties of yams available, and they can be used interchangeably in recipes. One of my favorite recipes is a yam casserole that I enjoy making for my family at the holidays.

Yam Casserole

6 yams
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 whole eggs
1 Tb. dark rum or vanilla extract

3/4 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup brown sugar
6 Tb. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
6 Tb. butter, melted

Method:
Peel the yams, and cut into chunks. Cover them with water or vegetable broth and cook them until they are fork tender , about 20  minutes.

When the potatoes are softened, drain off the water and mash the potatoes with a potato masher or potato ricer. Stir in the cream, vanilla, eggs, and brown sugar. Place this mixture into a greased casserole dish and set aside while you make the crumble topping. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

For the crumble topping, simply mix all of the ingredients together until the butter is evenly distributed and the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle the mixture over the casserole and then bake in a 350 degree oven until golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Enjoy!