I had my head in the refrigerator looking for inspiration and thinking about new combinations, to try and combat some culinary boredom that has set in. I saw oven roasted yams and cream cheese and immediately thought, “Those go together somehow.” Why? I don’t know. I don’t recall any recipes that use both. I’ve never used them together before. I still don’t know why, but I was sure they were compatible somehow. I couldn’t stop thinking about it and had to try.
Well, they are compatible! This is half cream cheese, and half yam, mashed together. The color is like orange cream popsicles, and the taste is really nice! We tried two versions—one without anything but the yam and cream cheese, and one with the addition of pumpkin pie spice.
Both are good! I might also try a savory version with some fresh chives and other seasonings. The yams aren’t very sweet once cut with the cream cheese. Coupled with crispy Ritz crackers, the whole concoction almost tastes and feels like tiny little pumpkin cheese cakes, and took about two minutes to make since a batch of yams was already roasted and cooled in the fridge. Now I’m thinking about how I can use this tasty spread with the sourdough starter mix we just aquired and the bread we expect to make from it.
Saturday, we stopped at a roadside vendor near the farm and bought an enormous load of yams. I’ve been roasting them and freezing “yam pucks” in a flexible silicone muffin pan. I know what I’m doing with some of them!
I’m calling this one a win.
