yams

Yams are one of the most Anthropomorphic foods. Don't you think?!

What we, in New Zealand, call yams are not what people in other countries call yams ; they are also known as Oca. They are sweet and starchy and are a great part of a roast dinner. Quite possibly my favourite part along with the potatoes, meat and parsnips of course. When they are roasted they become super soft with a lovely chewy skin. And so easy to prepare : just a brief wash and trim.

Somethings I do with yams :

• throw them around a roast to become beautifully sticky.
• roast them with dots of butter, honey and salt and pepper.
• include them in a slow cooked stew, into which they will dissolve and thicken and sweeten the sauce.

A friend told me that if you put a couple of yams in a bucket of soil and leave it until the plants have grown and the leaves have died back you will have a bucket full of yams. How could I resist? I have an eagerly watched bucket on the go now. Just a matter of time!