Purple Yam and Fennel Gratin

Yield: 4 sides

Purple yams are so incredibly vibrant and keep their beautiful color when cooked.  They are sweet and slightly nutty in flavor and cook up like a sweet potato, which could be used if you can’t find purple yams.  (In fact, alternating between orange sweet potatoes and purple yams would look awesome!)  

They have a little more moisture than a regular potato, like a Yukon gold, so take a little less time to cook.  The cooking times may vary, depending on the pan you use, so cook covered for 35 minutes and then check their doneness with a fork.  The remaining 5-10 minutes uncovered is for browning off the top and crisping the edges.  

Slice you yams and fennel 1/8” thick. You can use a sharp chefs knife or a mandolin. Cut them too thin and they’ll break up when you toss them with your flavorings; cut them too thick and they’ll take longer to cook.

Fennel’s flavor goes really well with caraway and oregano, but if you’re not a fan, slice up some white or yellow onion instead.

Toss gently so you don’t snap the yam rounds, but thoroughly so all the garlic and spices get evenly distributed.

Alternating between yam and fennel, not only looks pretty, but it evenly distributes the flavors and leaves a little space between the yams so they cook that much more quickly.

Yams and fennel go great with some sort of nut, so don’t omit the garnish.  Dukkah is a delicious nut, seed, and spice mixture which works great here, but so do plain nuts.  Pistachios will provide a beautiful pop of green, but if you have pine nuts, almonds, or hazelnuts, toast them off first in a dry pan for a few minutes to ramp up their flavor.  Just be sure to keep them moving in the pan so they don’t burn.  

Pair the gratin with Eggplant and Pine Nut Puree, steamed veg, and warmed pita bread for a veg-forward dinner.

The Recipe

1 purple yam – peeled and sliced 1/8” thick circles (slice by hand or with a mandolin)

1 fennel – cleaned and sliced 1/8” thick (slice by hand or with a mandolin)

½ tsp kosher salt

½ tsp whole caraway seeds

½ tsp dried oregano

8-10 grinds black pepper

1 lemon – zested

1 garlic – grated on microplane

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil – divided

½ lemon – juiced

1 Tbsp dukkah/chopped pistachios

1.     Preheat oven to 400F

2.     In a bowl add all ingredients, except for the evoo, lemon juice, and dukkah.  Add 1 Tbsp of evoo and gently toss to fully combine all the ingredients.

3.     Add 1 Tbsp evoo to an oven-safe pan, either a 9” x 9” square or 10” round.  The pan measurements are approximate.  I chose a cast iron wok because that’s all I had that would fit into my toaster oven but use what you have.

4.     Make stacks of yam and fennel, alternating between the two, and prop them up on their sides in the pan.  If you have any leftover fennel, pile them in the middle or sprinkle over top.

5.     Drizzle the remaining 1 Tbsp evoo over the top of the yam and fennel and cover with a lid or foil.

6.     Bake for 35 minutes, remove cover, bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, until the yam is fork tender and slightly golden brown on the edges.

7.     Drizzle with lemon juice and sprinkle with dukkah or chopped pistachios for a nutty garnish.  Adding nuts and seeds adds to the flavor and the texture, so don’t skimp on this.