Bake a Yam

Yams are vegetables native to Africa and Asia, and are starchier and drier than a sweet potato. Sweet potatoes are more commonly found in America and Europe. Whether you are eating a yam or a sweet potato, baking is one of the easiest and most versatile ways to cook them. It is also a tasty, yet extremely healthy, way to prepare a yam. Baked yams are a perfect dish for paleo or clean eating diets. Follow these step-by-step instructions to bake a yam.

Ingredients

Basic Baked Yam or Sweet Potato

• Yams or sweet potatoes
• Aluminum foil and baking pan
• 2 tbsp brown sugar or maple syrup
• Salt and pepper
• Vegetable or olive oil

Paleo Baked Yam or Sweet Potato

• Yams or sweet potatoes
• Coconut oil
• Cinnamon or nutmeg
• Coconut butter

Baked Yam or Sweet Potato Medallions

• 4 yams or sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (or other oils)
• 1/4 cup honey (sweet dish)
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (sweet dish)
• 2 tablespoons of brown or white sugar (sweet dish)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper (savory dish)
• Paprika (savory dish)

Baked Yam or Sweet Potato Fries

• 4 yams or sweet potatoes, sliced
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil, for tossing
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon garlic, curry powder, cumin, paprika (optional)

Microwave Baked Yam or Sweet Potato Potato

• Yams or sweet potatoes
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Butter
• Vegetable or olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Brown or white sugar

Steps

Baking a Basic Baked Yam or Sweet Potato

1. Preheat your oven to 425°. Sweet potatoes and yams are forgiving vegetables, so you can cook them at temperatures ranging from 375-450°. This means you can place them in the oven while you cook other food.
2. Line a baking pan or dish with aluminum foil. Yams tend to ooze syrupy juice, which can be difficult to clean up. Lining your pan ensures an easy clean up process.
   • Don't wrap your yams or sweet potatoes in aluminum foil. Simply lay them on the foil.
3. Wash and pierce the yams. Gently scrub the yams under cold water. Poke each yam four or five times with a fork or sharp knife. Put them in the baking dish.
   • You can drizzle vegetable or olive oil on the yams if you choose. Rub the oil evenly over the skins.
   • For a paleo or clean eating variation, coat the sweet potatoes or yams in coconut oil.
4. Bake for approximately 1 hour. Once during cooking, turn them over. The sweet potato or yam is done when the yam is soft. Touch it with an oven mitt and test for softness. Insert a knife into the middle of the potato; it should easily glide into the potato if it's done. If it's not done, continue cooking. Another way to tell it is done is that the outside will be darker when it's done.
   • Cooking time will vary depending upon the size of the yams. Larger yams will take longer to cook. The yams can take from 45 to 75 minutes to cook.
5. Serve. Remove the yams from the pan and slice open with a knife. Serve the yam with small pats of butter.
   • For a paleo or clean variation, cover with coconut butter and sprinkle with cinnamon or nutmeg. Another clean option is to top with maple syrup or honey.
   • Add brown or granulated sugar and pumpkin pie spice for a sweeter taste. Add salt and pepper, paprika, or cumin for a more savory dish. Mix chili pepper with butter for a kick of spice.

Baking Yam or Sweet Potato Medallions

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Sweet potatoes can be cooked at any temperature from 375-450°.
2. Peel and cut yams. Take 4 yams, peel, and then cut into one-inch cubes. Spread the medallions out into a roasting tray.
   • An alternate way to cut the yams is to wash and leave the peel on the yams. Slice the yams into medallions, as narrow or wide as desired. Eating the peel provides extra nutrients and aids in digestion. Just make sure to wash extremely well if you are going to eat the peeling.
3. Drizzle with seasoning. First, drizzle oil over the potatoes. If you do not want to cover the yams in oil, brush them with butter instead. Decide if you would like a sweeter dish or a savory dish, or a mixture of both.
   • For a sweeter dish, drizzle the yam chunks with honey, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Alternately, add brown or white sugar.
   • For a savory dish, sprinkle salt, pepper, and paprika over the yams.
4. Bake for 30 minutes. Place into the oven. Cook until tender, or the yams start to crinkle around the edges. Start testing the potatoes when they've been cooking for fifteen minutes.

Baking Yam or Sweet Potato Fries

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. The sweet potato fries can be cooked at any temperature from 375-450°.
2. Wash and cut the yams. Since the peeling will be left on the yams, make sure to wash them thoroughly. Cut the yams into thin slices.
   • For potato wedges instead of fries, cut into eighths. The yams will be in long wedge shapes.
3. Season the fries. Place fries into a large bowl or a plastic bag. Toss the fries with salt, pepper, and olive oil.
   • You can also season the fries with other spices. Try garlic, paprika, cumin, chili powder, curry, or seasoning salt in any combination.
   • To make the fries as a paleo or clean eating dish, use coconut oil instead.
4. Place the fries on a baking sheet. Spread the fries on a baking sheet. Bake them for 20-30 minutes, turning them over at least once while baking. Depending on the oven, it may take more or less time. Bake them until the fries are crispy and golden brown.
   • Don't place the fries too closely together or stack them too high. You want them to crisp up.

Baking the Yam or Sweet Potato in the Microwave

1. Bake the yams whole. If you want to microwave the yams whole, poke holes all over the yam or sweet potato.
   • If you would rather microwave chunks, peel and cut the yams. Cut them into chunks about an inch wide. Place into a microwave safe bowl.
2. Add seasoning. If you would like to add seasoning, place it on the yams before you microwave. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of your choice of oil.
   • If you would like a sweeter potato, add 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, white sugar, or maple syrup, 1 tablespoon of fresh-squeezed lemon juice, or cinnamon or nutmeg.
   • If you want a savory potato, add salt and pepper.
3. Microwave on high. Cover the dish with a lid or plastic wrap. Microwave for 10 minutes, checking the softness at 5 minutes. Continue to microwave in 2-minute intervals until tender.
   • If you have whole yams, turn them over halfway through cooking. If you have chunks, shake the container to spread contents.
4. Finished.

Tips

• Rub oven-baked yams with vegetable oil, olive oil, or coconut oil for crispy skins.
• Try wrapping yams in bacon before cooking for a special treat.
• Cooking for more than 1 hour generally will not cause problems with your yams; a little extra time and heat is usually OK.
• Sweet potatoes and yams are natural superfoods. They are packed full of good nutrients. 1 cup of sweet potatoes contains 65% of your daily amount of Vitamin C, and 700% of your daily amount of Vitamin A. They are also high in calcium, folate, potassium, and beta-carotene. They also have a very low glycemic index.
• Bake multiple yams or sweet potatoes at once. Place them into plastic bags or plastic containers and put them in the fridge to use in quick lunch or dinner recipes all week long.

Things You'll Need

• Aluminum foil and baking pan
• Microwave-safe dish

Related Articles

• Make a Sweet Potato Crunch Casserole
• Make Black Walnut and Sweet Potato Pudding
• Bake Potatoes

Sources and Citations

See also

• Make Buttery Mashed Potatoes
• Make Indian Potato Curry With Green Chilli Base
• Broast Potatoes
• Make Sweet Potato Nests
• Make Healthy Scalloped Potatoes
• Make Loaded Potato Wedges
• Cook Potatoes
• Cook Sweet Potatoes
• Parboil Potatoes
• Cook a Sweet Potato in the Microwave

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