Recipe Tue May 12 2009

You Must Try This: Smoked Yam Salad with Ginger

Last Sunday before that precipitous temperature drop, we did our first backyard grilling of the season. The main fare was the classic burger, but as we usually do, we threw some vegetables on the grill for later use. (We learned last year that this is a simple step that makes the following week's meals quite tasty--and easy, since these vegetables are only a step or two away from a finished dish.) Among eggplants (for baba ganoush) and Poblano peppers (which we had in this morning's scrambled eggs) were two yams.

I came home this evening and made a salad with the two yams. Simply dressed with good vinegar, olive oil and a teeny bit of salt, the yams were fantastic. Slow-cooking on the grill intensified their sweetness, while adding a great deal of smoky goodness to their beautiful orange flesh. Ginger and scallions provided a refreshing counter point, both in terms of the tangy flavors and crunchy texture; the floral flagrance of the Champagne vinegar lifted up the whole dish. Try it the next time you fire up your grill--you won't regret it!

Makes about 3-4 appetizer servings

2 medium yams, scrubbed
1 scallion, chopped
1 quarter-size slice of fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 teaspoon sherry or Champagne vinegar
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt or less

When you start grilling your meats, place the yams, whole, on the outer edges of the barbecue grill. (Use some wood chips for additional smoky flavor.) Leave the yams on the grill while you enjoy your barbecued goodies, turning occasionally and shifting locations to avoid too much charring. When all the other stuff is cooked and removed from the grill, close the grill rid with the vents open. Keep the rid closed, checking the doneness of the yams occasionally by poking them with a skewer. When the skewer pierces through the thickest part of the yams without much resistance, remove the yams from the grill.

Peel the yams when they've cooled enough to touch comfortably. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.

About fifteen minutes before serving time, cut the yams into bite-sized chunks. Toss the yam chunks with the scallion, ginger, sherry vinegar, olive oil and a tiny bit of salt. The yams are tasty enough by themselves, so don't overseason! Serve chilled.

— Yu Kizawa / Comments (0)