Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Yam sticks

There are a few reasons to love yams:  they are low in fat, a good source of fiber and vitamins, and they are a nice pretty orange color to top it all off.
Some people prefer their yams mashed up with butter and sugar and topped with mini marshmallows, but I will take these tasty baked yam sticks over that sugary mess any day!
Insanely simple, and also healthy, these are ready in about 20 minutes and are great alongside sandwiches or perfect as a snack on their own.  

1 yam 
cooking spray
salt
nutmeg
Preheat the oven to 425 F.
Wash and dry the yam (you know where they grow...best to clean them up first!)
Cut the yam into sticks (the thinner they are, the faster they will cook).  Try for uniformly sized pieces.
Spray a pan (I used an old cake pan, you could also use a baking sheet) with cooking spray.
Arrange the yams in a single layer.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring or flipping the pieces every five minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven, put the yam sticks in a bowl, and sprinkle with salt and freshly grated nutmeg.  I love the salty sweet combo, but if you just want the sweetness, use only the nutmeg.


1 comment:

That Girl said...

It's so funny how our childhood colors our food descriptions - for me, yams are canned because that's what we used for candied yams at Thanksgiving. Anything that doesn't come in a can is a "sweet potato" (even when it's a yam). Kinda like how ice cream, custard, and frozen yogurt are all "ice cream" in my house.