Sweet and Spicy Baby Yams

 
 

Patrick Costa of De La Nonna, Los Angeles, CA

Patrick (@chefpcosta) was born in Southern California, but spent his first six years in Rome, Italy before moving back to the states.  He drew inspiration from his grandmother, who’d only cook using fresh, home grown herbs and local market produce. Being the son of a Naval officer, he traveled with his family often, and it was during these trips that Chef Costa was exposed to different foods across the globe, solidifying his love for cooking and the culinary arts.

Costa spent a number of years at L20, an upscale Michelin-starred seafood restaurant located in Lincoln Park, Chicago, where he worked under Laurent Gras. Most recently Patrick has been consulting with pizza, menu creation and kitchen design. This has led to Co-founding De La Nonna with long time friend Jose Cordon. 

My go to holiday side dish is a sweet and spicy baby yam. I use pasilla chile and a sweet brown butter glaze. It’s easy and always been a hit. It also travels and reheats well.

- Patrick Costa

Ingredients:

For the brown butter glaze:

  • 400g butter

  • 300g brown sugar

  • 600g water

  • 2g cracked black pepper

  • 5 sage leaves

  • 1 pasilla chile (deseeded)

  • 10g kosher salt

For the baby yams:

  • 5 baby yams (or sweet potatoes)

  • 4 chilies de arbol

  • 2 garlic cloves

  • 1 bay leaf

  • large pinch of kosher salt

Garnish:

  • Chives, thinly sliced

  • Pecans

Method:

  1. Cube the yams into bite sized pieces, about 1 inch. Place the yams in a pot and cover with water. Place arbol, salt, bay leaf and garlic in the pot.

  2. Bring to a boil and cook on medium heat until fork tender, about 10 minutes.

  3. Meanwhile, make the brown butter glaze. Place the butter in a small saucepan. Cook on medium heat until lightly browned. Add the remaining ingredients and cook until the water has reduced by a third. The mixture should be smooth and a bit thick. If you over reduce the glaze, or if it looks oily and broken, just add a small amount of water until the mixture emulsifies.

  4. Be sure to not overcook the yams, as they will cook slightly in the glaze. Strain the yams and place in a mixing bowl. Discard the arbol, bay leaf, and garlic.

  5. Glaze the yams and gently mix. Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with chives and pecans. This also travels and reheats well.