Japanese Yam "Fries"

With its rich deep magenta skin and white-ish insides, the Japanese yam looks quite stunning when cut open. The mildly sweet flavor and potato-like texture makes it an ideal candidate for making fries. Rather than deep frying in oil, it can be oven baked or pan-fried.

This time, as it was a small batch, and my pan was just the right size, I went with shallow pan-frying.

Peel and cut the yam, immerse in water and par-cook in the microwave for about 4 minutes, drain and pat dry.

Heat a tablespoon or so of oil in a cast-iron skillet, arrange the par-cooked yam pieces in a single layer, sprinkle with salt and chili powder, allow to sit and brown on one side.

Turn them over to brown the other sides as preferred.

Serve warm.