When I received Garnet Yams in my FFTY box this week – I’ll admit to being a little unsure about what to do with them. I mean, aside from during the holidays, I don’t think I’ve ever had yams. I know I’m probably sounding like a broken record on the whole subject, but I seriously – one of the best things about being a part of a CSA is that I get to try all these veggies that I wouldn’t normally try. And I gotta say – I need more yams in my life.

Yams are definitely one of those veggies that I just never gave much thought to. Like, I’d see them at the grocery store, but I didn’t really see them. It was just one of those vegetables that I would skip over on my way to get something else. I’ve always considered myself pretty adventurous in the kitchen, and it’s enlightening to have all this new stuff coming in each week for me to try, and realizing that in some ways, my cooking was stuck in a rut.

Of course, it’s not that I was a bad cook before – but I think for me, and probably most people, it’s really easy to settle in to a comfort zone with food, and you settle in to a routine. Eventually that routine can becomes a rut. A comfortable rut, to be sure, but a rut, all the same. So with FFTY, by relinquishing a little control over what veggies I cook with, I gained a new insight in to how to be more creative in the kitchen. Not a bad tradeoff, if you ask me.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs Garnet Yams
• 1 tbs Safflower Oil
• 1/4 cup Butter
• 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
• 1 tbs Good Quality Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 tsp White Wine
• 1 tsp freshly grated Nutmeg
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• Kosher Salt for coating and to taste

Method:

• Preheat Oven to 350°
• Wash yams, and then prick several times with a fork
• Coat the yams in safflower oil and sprinkle with Kosher Salt
• Place yams on a piece of foil and put on the center rack of the oven
• Roast yams for 1 hour, or until soft and tender
• Remove from oven and place yams in a bowl with the remaining ingredients
• Use a fork and coarsely mash together until desired consistency is reached