With the arrival of October and the fall harvest just about complete we take the time to give thanks for the things we are grateful for. We restaurant folk have a tendency to become a little bit jaded when it comes to holidays. It usually just means that we get to spend even more time strapped to the stove or catering to the needs of others while our families and friends enjoy long weekends, away from work, with their loved ones, wondering why we can’t join them. Unfortunately we can’t be there because that’s not the path we chose. When we chose to make this a career we knew it meant giving up holiday meals with family and weekends away from the city with friends. It’s one of the many sacrifices of our chosen career. In fact, for most young chefs the long weekend just adds more stress to an already busy life. Not only do we have to cope with busy restaurants and ensuring that our guests are well taken care of, we also have to try to squeeze in a trip to the parents for a quick dinner, usually having to ask them to eat around your schedule. Even worse, we have to miss that time away from our family and be left with the guilt of letting them down for not being around. Early on in my career it didn’t bother me all that much. It was just another meal and I would have a plate of leftovers when I got home. Things change though as you grow up. Now that I have a family of my own it makes it that much tougher to consider not being at the table with my family. So, this year, rather than being jaded and resentful I have chosen to find the positive in the situation and make the time for my family, and be thankful for all that I have in my life.

 

This year I find myself particularly thankful for so much. I have a loving wife, beautiful family and daughter that I adore. I am blessed to be where I am at in my culinary career and that is in great part to the exceptional staff I have around me. We continue to grow our business and, with that, our family of talented chefs continues to grow as well. I live in a wonderful city that continues to grow and boom, virtually isolated from the continuing economic struggles that a great deal of the world has faced. Sure, I could complain about the short summers, or the potholes, or taxes, but those just seem like first world problems, and the truth is no one wants to listen to that. I have a roof over my head, food on my table, and am in good health, relatively speaking. What more could a guy ask for really? Sure, everyone in the world wants more, but the truth is, if we have those basic things, we already have enough. So this year I choose to be thankful for where I am and mindful that my life could be a whole lot worse.

 

Enough already, you probably don’t want to hear about a middle-aged chef rant about all of the things he is thankful for, you’d probably rather hear about what I’m cooking this week, or at least I hope you do. So, with Thanksgiving this weekend I thought I would share a recipe for a delicious side dish. Sure, I could offer some turkey recipes, or a tip for moist stuffing, but I thought I would keep with the original tradition of the holiday, paying thanks for the bountiful harvest by creating a feast, and what better harvest ingredient that screams fall then the yam? This dish is so good and tastes like candy, so you might even get the kids to eat their vegetables.

 

 

Yam Casserole

 

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Feeds: 8-12 as a side dish

Special Tools: an approximately 8” by 8” casserole dish helps, and so does a food processor, but neither is necessary

 

4 lbs.              yams, peeled, about 3-4 large ones

½ cup                        sugar

¼ cup             maple syrup

1 tsp.              vanilla bean paste (or extract if necessary)

2 ea.                eggs, whisked

½ cup                        butter

1 tbsp.            chipotle paste

¼ tsp.             cinnamon

TT                   S&P

 

For the topping:

1/3 cup          flour

1 cup              brown sugar

1 cup              chopped pecans

¼ cup             melted butter

 

• Chop the yams into large cubes, similar to if you were preparing mashed potatoes
• Place the yams in a large pot and cover with cold water, salt
• Place the pot on the stove and bring to a simmer
• Allow to cook through, until fork tender, but not overcook to mush, about 20 minutes
• Remove from the heat and drain thoroughly
• If using the food processor, place the yams in the food processor and puree in batches, adding the sugar, maple syrup, butter, eggs, and seasonings bit by bit
• Once all batches are pureed ensure that they are all blended well so that the mixture is evenly seasoned
• If mashing by hand, use a potato masher and mash until fairly smooth, then add the remaining ingredients and whip until smooth and flavors are evenly distributed
• Place the yam puree in the bottom of the casserole dish, layering it about 1 inch thick
• In a bowl combine the topping ingredients and mix until evenly combined
• Place the casserole dish on a baking sheet to avoid any mess or spillover during cooking
• If you don’t have a casserole dish feel free to use pretty much any baking pan similar in size
• Layer the topping over the yam puree, refrigerate until ready to bake
• Everything up to this point can be done in advance, saving you the mess during the big day
• Preheat the oven to 350F
• Place the casserole in the oven and bake until warm through and nicely browned on the top, 30-35 minutes
• Serve immediately

 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!