Okinawan Purple Party Chips
This May, if you see Okinawan Purple Yams in your grocery store, be sure to snag a few! These beautiful yams are currently in season until June. When cut open, these special yams are a rich purple hue that will brighten and colorize your dinner table. These yams are currently in season and are an excellent source of antioxidants, which supports our immune system, and as well as of beta-carotene, which helps maintain healthy skin and eyes. You can simply cook these in the oven, then serve “open-faced,” similar to a baked potato. These yams are very sweet when cooked in the oven, so squeeze a lemon over them to cut the sweetness. Try mashing them with milk, sour cream, and butter for a new, colorful take on a mashed potato recipe (watch the color change as you add in the dairy ingredients!) Use Okinawan purple yams for a twist on the potato chip by slicing them thin and tossing them in salt and olive oil. Voila! Purple potato party. When preparing these yams, be sure to wash them very well and pat them dry before cooking.
Recipe #1: Simple Oven Baked Okinawan Purple Yam
Ingredients:
Purple Yams
Salt
Lemon
Equipment:
Fork
Tin foil
- Wrap the middle oven rack in tin foil.
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- Place in the oven on the rack wrapped in tin foil and bake for 40 minutes or until fully cooked.
- If not cooked, place the yams back in the oven for 10 minute intervals until fully cooked. You will know they are done if you can easily pierce them with a fork.
- Wait 5 minutes then slice open, sprinkle some salt, squeeze some lemon juice over the open yams.
Recipe #2: Smashed Purp-tatoes
Ingredients:
2 Tbs Butter
½ cup Sour cream or greek yoghurt
½ cup Milk
Salt & pepper
Equipment:
Pastry blender or fork (for mashing)
Big bowl
Colander
Instructions:
- Set a pot of water to boil
- Wash and dry yams
- Peel and dice potatoes into large diced chunks
- Boil them until tender and mashable.
- Transfer potatoes from stove to colander, and then place in a large bowl.
- Start mashing! Use pastry blender or fork to start mashing!
- Once potatoes are mashed up but still chunky, add in sour cream or greek yoghurt, milk, butter and salt and pepper. Mash it some more until all ingredients are incorporated.
Recipe #3: Purple Potato Party Chips
Ingredients
3-4 purple potatoes
2 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
Optional spices (to taste)
Turmeric
Cinnamon & just a little sugar
Cayenne pepper
Smoked paprika
Nutritional yeast
Parmesan cheese
Equipment
Baking sheets
Mandolin or sharp knife
Paper towels
Plastic ziplock bag
Parchment paper
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper
- While the oven is preheating, take a mandolin or sharp knife and cut the potato into uniform slices. Note: the thickness should be about a millimeter – bake times may vary depending upon thickness of the chips
- You may want to take some paper towels and press down on the potato slices to squeeze out any excess moisture. The chips may become crisper in the oven if you take this step.
- Measure the oil and pour into ziplock bag.
- Take sliced potatoes and place into bag. Shake it up to coat all of the chips with the oil and salt.
- Grab your lined baking sheets and place the chips on the sheet in rows with a sliver of space in between the chips. The chips will bake evenly and crisply in the oven if they are not touching.
- Bake in the oven for approximately 12 – 15 minutes or until crisp on the underside. Then flip and bake for another 10 minutes, or until crisp on the second side.
- Sprinkle with salt. Incorporate a light dusting of your favorite spice, if you want. Serve and enjoy!
Smashed Purp-tatoes recipe inspired by Wandering Chopsticks: Mashed Okinawan Purple Sweet Potatoes
Purple Potato Party Chips recipe inspired by: Door to Door Organics – Homemade Purple Potato Chips
Have you ever used purple yams in your recipes? Did you try one of these recipes? Share your Japanese Purple Yam recipes with us in the comments!