I feel sorry for yams. They are cheap as chips, so delicious, and so easy to prepare, but they are so under-used and under-rated.

I think their appearance puts people off. And I’m not arguing, they’re not exactly beautiful. But you have to see past that! Into their soft, tasty souls.

Yams always make me smile at a sweet old story about my great grandfather. My Granddad Cecil had been a sawyer, when he came back from the first world war I think, and had lost three or four fingers (OSH and ACC - not so big a deal back then).  As a little girl, I found this fascinating, and I always used to try and have a good look at his hands without being too obvious. But actually, I think he loved showing the great grand children his injuries!

I have a cousin who recalls going to Granddad Cecil and Nanny Myrtle’s for roasts as a little boy, and Nanny would always have yams on the menu. My cousin tells me that as they sat down to eat, Cecil would give him a nudge, point at the yams with their evenly jointed knuckle-y looking lines, then grin at my cousin and hold his hands up, and wiggling his stumpy jazz hands for my cousin. I don’t think Todd has eaten yams since.

I decided to do something a little different with these yams a couple of weeks ago. Usually I just roast them as they are, but it struck me that yams have that nice sweetness, kind of like pumpkin, that goes well with things like ginger and cinnamon and such. So I cooked these ones with a little maple syrup and pecans, to serve with this farmhouse chicken casserole and roast potatoes. I actually ran out of time and oven space to properly roast them in the oven, so I steamed them in the syrup in the microwave. but I think either method would be equally delicious.

Maple & Pecan Roast (or Steamed) Yams

Mix together 1 Tbsp rice bran oil (I avoid using butter in cooking wherever possible, but you could use butter, or low-fat spread!), and 2 Tbsp maple syrup. Pour over the yams and roast them in the oven or cover and steam in the microwave. Serve drizzled with extra maple syrup and sprinkle with lightly toasted pecans.

And that’s it! So don’t overlook yams next time you need a great vege for your roast. They will serve you well.