Hot, Sweet & Spicy Garnet Yam Fries

Garnet yams show up regularly in the small but growing organic section of my local supermarket. I'm sure you've heard all about how sweet potatoes and yams are better for you than white potatoes. While I'm still going to be cooking and baking my beloved whites, this is a wonderful, surprising change of pace. The insides of each "fry" is soft and sweet and the outside slightly crisp (depending on how much oil you use) and SPICY! Yummy! The recipe ingredients are for about two servings; figure one yam per person and adjust accordingly.

Ingredients
2 garnet yams, peeled and sliced like french fries
2 tsp olive oil (or more if you like)
1/2 to 1-1/2 tsp chili powder*
salt to taste

Directions
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray cookie pan with cooking oil. Toss ingredients in bowl until well coated. Spread onto pan in single layer and bake until easily pierced with fork, about 20-25 minutes, flip half way though. You can take one out to eat and test that way too!

And if you're wondering if you could substitute sweet potatoes for the garnet yam, yeah, you could but I wouldn't. I really do like the garnet yams with their deep orange color.

*I used a seasoning mixture I bought from Summit Spice (summitspiceandtea.com) called Susitna Chile Blend. It's a mixture of chilies, garlic, oregano, cumin, coriander, cloves, paprika, cayenne, coriander, garlic, onion, cumin, ginger, oregano, epazoté. It's pretty damn good! But any good chili powder would be good in this recipe.

Garnet Yam