These Three-Way Instant Yams Are Almost Too Easy
Last night, as I took my first test turkey of the season out of the oven, it occurred to me that I hadn’t prepared any side dish for the fried poultry. I needed something to connect while the turkey was resting, and all I had were three yams.
If there is one reason for buying a pressure cooker, it is to speed up the cooking process. Yams, as you probably know, don’t usually cook very quickly, but with a little pressure in our trusty old Instant Pot, you can make a large pan of creamy orange puree in less than half an hour.
Every Instant Pot recipe requires at least a cup of liquid to help the device achieve pressure, and I use heavy cream because why would I choose a different liquid when I have access to heavy cream? That plus a stick of salted butter – did I stutter? – everything you need to prepare a juicy, warming side dish. Yams are cooked directly in a mixture of cream and butter, which means there is no water in it for cooking, which means that not a single piece of tasty sweet potato is washed down the drain. To prepare this velvety mass, you will need:
- 3 pounds sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 stick of butter
Place everything in the Instant Pot and close it, making sure the vent valve is in the Sealing position. Press Manual or Pressure Cooking and use the + or – button to set the time to 11 minutes.
When the cooking time is up and the Instant Pot starts yelling at you, press Cancel and manually release the pressure by turning the release valve. Open the pot and look in horror at its contents, because there will be small pieces of cooked dairy products that will make everything look like they went wrong (which they are not).
Don’t worry friend. Remove that clutter with a hand blender – or just get really aggressive with a wooden spoon and you’ll be rewarded with a sweet, orange, silky wonder that sits somewhere between mashed potatoes and mashed potatoes.
Place it in a serving bowl and sprinkle with toasted pecans, sprinkle with marshmallows and place under the brazier, or eat as is with little Maldon (my personal favorite).