Mashed Purple Yams with Sesame Brown Butter

These Mashed Purple Yams with Sesame Brown Butter make an extra tasty, pretty, and healthy alternative to regular sweet potatoes. They are a crowd-pleaser both on the table and on the plate. You will love them!

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 Eating mashed purple yams is like having dessert for dinner. It's the best. 

Have you guys heard of, bought or cooked with Japanese purple yams before? If you haven't, you may have seen them, looking rather yam-like, next to the rest of t

he potato-y things. They look a lot like regular yams, only they're a little skinnier and, obviously, purple. I've been walking by them for years.

It was a Facebook message I got from my friend Sally that said I need to stop ignoring these pretty purple yams that finally made me give them some attention. I've been experimenting with them for a while now, and this is one of my favorite recipes.

It's simple and allows the purple yams shine.

Purple yams are a lot sweeter than regular yams and the nutty brown butter and sesame oil turn them into that perfect sweet/savory combo.

Serve this in place of sweet potatoes or even mashed potatoes. I think this would be a great side dish for Easter or Thanksgiving dinner.

Purple Yams (ube yams)

When you're buying purple yams, you'll want to look for the same characteristics as regular yams: firm, mostly unmarked skin with no soft spots.

Just like with a regular yam, the skin is edible but the best part is the flesh.

Aside from being extra sweet and delicious, purple yams are also extra healthy for you. They're packed full of anthocyanin (a natural anti-inflammatory), are a great source of vitamin A and potassium and are high in fiber and low in fat and carbs. Go on, eat 'em up!

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More Delicious Side Dish Recipes:

• Maple Roasted Butternut Squash 
• Mini Hasselback Potatoes with Roasted Garlic
• Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Walnuts and Pomegranate
• Roasted Root Vegetables and Pears with Maple Vanilla Butter
• Maple Bourbon Sweet Potato Ribbon Casserole

Mashed Purple Yams with Sesame Brown Butter

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 55 mins

Total Time: 1 hr

These Mashed Purple Yams with Sesame Brown Butter make an extra tasty, pretty, and healthy alternative to regular sweet potatoes. They are a crowd-pleaser both on the table and on the plate. You will love them!

If you love this recipe as much as we do, let us know with a 5-star rating!

4.92 stars (12 ratings)

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Ingredients

• 1 ½ lb Asian purple yams, ube yams
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• ¼ teaspoon rice vinegar
• Sea salt, to taste
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
• Place the yams on the baking sheet – do not pierce their skins! – and bake them for 30-45 minutes, or until they can easily be pierced with a knife. (They can vary in size quite a bit and the larger ones will take longer to cook.) Remove them from the oven and, when they are cool enough to handle, cut them in half and scrape out the flesh. Discard the skins.
  1 ½ lb Asian purple yams
• While the yams are roasting, make the brown butter. Put the butter in a small frying pan over medium-high heat. The butter will first melt, then become very frothy and finally it will start to brown. Once the froth begins to die down a little keep a close eye on it and start to stir the butter so you can see exactly what is going on. You want lots of dark brown bits in the butter. This should take about 5-7 minutes. Once the butter is very brown remove it from the heat and pour it into a small bowl to stop the cooking. Stir in the sesame oil.
  2 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• Mash the yams with a fork and add all but one teaspoon of the brown butter/sesame oil. Add the rice vinegar to the yams and stir until everything is well combined. Season to taste with sea salt.
  ¼ teaspoon rice vinegar, Sea salt
• Serve the yams with the remaining brown butter drizzled over tbe top and sprinkle with some sesame seeds.
  1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Notes

You can use dairy-free butter in this recipe, but it won't brown. Simply melt it and mix it with the sesame oil. 

Serving: 1 serving = ¼ of the recipe, Calories: 285kcal, Carbohydrates: 48g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 15mg, Sodium: 65mg, Potassium: 1392mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 410IU, Vitamin C: 29mg, Calcium: 35mg, Iron: 1mg

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