Yam Savvy

I’m convinced my complexion is a little orange (better than green with the ill that implies) with the five course meal I just consumed made entirely of sweet potato. It was Iron Chef with a yammy secret ingredient.

To tell you the truth, tonight was the first night that my plans pulled through this week. With a book club that I got kicked out of on Tuesday and a basketball game that I wasted tickets to on Wednesday, Thursday became the only night that ideas of grandeur became reality. Yeah, I just said that… ideas of grandeur i.e. spending the night cooking and eating a million different sweet potato concoctions. I knew what I was in for. Although, I’m not sure what I was thinking when I ate my left over butternut squash ravioli before going to this thing… Needless to say, I’m sufficiently sweeted-out. That’s a hard thing for me to do to myself! Impressive almost!

I walked into my cooking class a little apprehensive. When the chef made table-talk before things got started, I wasn’t having it. I don’t want to talk about what I’ve been cooking. I don’t know how to cook. Friends might say different, but I’m just really good at faking it. Just like when I played the clarinet in fourth grade.

On the Menu:
Parsley Sweet Potato Fries with Chipotle Aioli
Savory Mashed Sweet Potato with Cumin and Chives
Sweet Mashed Sweet Potato with Mascarpone and Candied Pecans
Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Blue Cheese and Sage
Sweet Potato Doughnuts

I am continually curious about aioli and am glad to have one under my belt. I already have big plans for the Savory Mashed. Once I can stomach the idea of eating more yams, I plan on layering it with black beans for delicious baked quesadillas. Freshly made guacamole required.

I’m excited to make the gnocchi at home. Somehow that dish is incredibly romantic to me. I don’t mean fancy food, eat on a date romantic (that too, I suppose), more so Romantic ideology. Heavy in pathos, artistry and expression. There is a reason why they are commonly referred to as ‘little pillows of heaven’. So beautiful.

I will never make doughnuts again in my lifetime. I can tell you that right now. Surprisingly tasty though.

I came home with second and third helpings of all that is orange. Somehow between leaving class and setting foot in my apartment, I managed to push all of my doughnuts onto friends and neighbors. Forcing mashed potatoes on them just seemed too aggressive. I can’t even think about my diet for the next few days… it may bring along that shade of green. Then I’d be a pumpkin!

P.S. Yams and Sweet Potato are terms used interchangeably, but one does not necessarily equal the other. “Real” yams are largely found in Africa and grow up to a hundred pounds. The hands of slavery picked a familiar root from southern US soil (the sweet potato) and relayed the yam status. Sweet Potatoes have white, firmer/drier varieties and varieties that push the color spectrum to purple. Basically, when you have a recipe for yams/sweet potatoes and the grocery stores has two things that look identical and labeled differently…. They are the same. In that case, you are just looking for the orange insides. May you never stare quizzically at these root vegetables again!