Cooking Television yields Delicious Yams

Have you had a chance to watch A Chef's Life? It's a reality style profile of a restaurant fantasy land. I mean this in a good way. Yes the restaurant work is super hard but meeting the people who grow your food -- it's pretty close to utopia! The main protagonist, Vivian whisks you through a recipe at some point during each episode. The sweet potatoes looked slightly less intimidating so I came up with a vegan alternative. The vegan adaptation is circumstantial; I didn't have bacon or butter. Actually I didn't have anything remotely suggesting the Southern qualities of this dish besides the yams. Se la vie, results were delish!

Here's the recipe from Farm to Table

Try this adaptation. The spinach was calling to be cooked and served as a fair backdrop for the Yams,

Two large yams. Pricked all around with a fork. Cooked for 45 minutes at 450 degrees F. Let the yams rest and cool for a few minutes.

While the yams cool, prepare the sauce. Melt 1/2 cup butter or vegan spread in a pot. Whisk in a scant 1/2 cup brown sugar, at least 1/2 lemon and season with cayenne pepper. Keep this at a low heat so it reduces. Throw in a few handfuls of pumpkin seeds. At the very end add 2 small scallions to the sauce, shut off the heat. Now start to pan fry the yams. Carefully slice yams into 3/4 inches with the skins on. Pan fry the slices in hot peanut oil to give them a crust and caramelize the edges slightly. Plate 2-3 slices then pour a generous amount of sauce over each.