No these aren’t purple potatoes, they are purple yams! Their skins are a tan color, but they were advertised as purple at the farmer’s market so I couldn’t help but buy some. The insides are laced with an interesting lavender color.
My first application of this interesting veggie was to make roasted yams, one of my favorite side dishes. As expected, these cooked up quite nicely: a slightly crisp skin, a pillowy soft interior and a nice bit of seasoning. They have a mildly sweet flavor that is mildly reminiscent of a rutabaga.
The one problem with roasting these whimsically purple tubers is that they don’t look so purple on the outside once they reach golden-brown perfection. So one morning I was inspired to make a dish that would highlight their cool purple color.
Mildly sweet cubes of yam lightly seasoned with garlic and fennel, tender onions, peppery arugula topped with just barely set fried eggs and fresh thyme. Sounds like a good breakfast (or lunch of dinner!) I served these up with some of my almond scones and it was a happy start to a Saturday morning.
You can also make this dish with sweet potatoes or any other type of potato you have on hand. And be sure to use the highest quality local free-range eggs. Why? Because they taste a whole lot better. I never liked eggs until I started buying good ones. Now I will gladly eat them right up!
Purple Yam Hash with Wild Arugula and Fried Eggs
Serves 1–2 (I eat a lot)
- 2 cups cubed Yam
- 1/2 medium Red Onion
- 2 tsp Olive Oil
- 1/2 tsp Fennel Seeds
- 2 cups Wild Arugula or Baby Spinach
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 2 tsp Gomasio*
- 2 tsp Olive Oil
- 2 Local Free-Range Eggs
- Fresh Thyme
- Ground Pepper
- Fresh Chives, minced (optional)
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, heat the 2 teaspoons of oil and the fennel seeds in a large skillet over medium heat.
- When the water is boiling, add the yams. Your skillet should now also be up to temperature. Add the onion to the skillet and cook stirring frequently.
- After about 15 minutes, the yams should be done. Test this by pushing on a cube with the back of a spoon to see if it will smash with relative ease. When they are ready, add the arugula, cook for about 30 seconds, then drain the water.
- Add the yams and arugula to the skillet followed by the garlic powder and gomasio. Toss everything to coat and remove from heat and transfer to plate(s).
- Heat another 2 teaspoons of oil in a clean skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, add the eggs. Cook until the whites are just barely set, then flip and cook for another 30 seconds. Place the eggs on top of the hash, then top with a sprinkle of fresh thyme, chives, and fresh ground pepper.
Great post. What kind of lighting do you use? Pretty cool how all the textures and colors pop out.