Gjelina is a restaurant in Venice, California, that serves some of the most delicious food in the city. I’ve dined on its salads, pizzas, and pasta. This yam dish is simply spectacular in its simplicity and flavor.
You need to know that there are two distinctly different sweet potato varieties. The sweet potato has a light brown-yellow skin and pale flesh interior that is less sweet and much drier than its yam cousin. The moist sweet potato variety, a reddish-brown color, is often labeled as a yam. You can also find sweet purple potatoes that work beautifully in this recipe. Make sure to use moist sweet potatoes for this recipe.
I love serving and eating yams year-round. This dish goes particularly well with simple entrees such as steak, lamb, or poultry. In fact, this dish might make a complementary addition to your Easter table this year.
Roasted Yams With Honey, Pepper, and Lime Yogurt
Serves 4 to 6 as a side dish- 1/2 cup Greek-style yogurt
- Juice of 2 limes
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 medium to large yams
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon Espelette pepper or crushed red pepper flakes
- Flaky sea salt
- 2 green onions (white and green parts), sliced thinly on the bias
- Sea salt, for garnish
In a small bowl, combine the yogurt with the lime juice and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season with sea salt and pepper. Set aside.
Cut the yams lengthwise into eight wedges (about 1 inch in diameter). In a medium bowl, toss the yams with the honey, 1/2 tablespoon espelette pepper, and the remaining olive oil. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Marinate for 10 minutes, tossing once or twice to coat.
Transfer the yams to a rimmed parchment-lined baking sheet, and roast until they are nicely caramelized around the edges and soft when pierced with a knife at the thickest part, 25 to 35 minutes.
Transfer to a serving platter, drizzle yogurt overall, and garnish with the green onions and remaining espelette pepper. Season with flaky salt. Serve warm.
