I Yam What I Yam with Raisins

So…I decided to enter a contest for cooking with raisins. I never have done such a thing, and the prize isn’t much, but now and then we need to stretch ourselves to try something new and different, right? Adds the spice to life, so to speak. So here is my first attempt. If nothing else, it’s a tasty dish and completely original.  Perfect side dish for the cold days of winter! Try it and enjoy.

I  Yam What I Yam with Raisins

Ingredients:

One to two deep orange yams, depending on size.

One medium yellow onion

One tart cooking apple

1-1/2 C dark raisins

about ½ C butter

Nutmeg, freshly grated if possible

Cinnamon, freshly grated if possible

salt and pepper

PREPARATION:

Heat oven to 350 

Use ½ of the butter to grease the sides of a 1-1/2 to 2 quart casserole dish (you won’t need to grease the bottom). 

Peel yams and slice about 1/8” thick. Try to find long narrow yams about 2” in diameter. If you have fatter yams, cut them in half lengthwise before slicing.

Peel onion and cut into thin slices.

Peel and core apple and cut into thin slices. 

COOKING METHOD:

Melt ½ of the butter in a small skillet. Add the onions, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and cook slowly, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent. (Use a little more butter if necessary.) 

Place ½ of the onions in the bottom of the casserole.

Add ½ of the yams, overlapped in rows, on top of the onions.

Add a layer of apples, using all of the apple, overlapped in rows. Sprinkle with spices.

Top with a layer of raisins, about ¾ inch deep.

Repeat layers: onions, yams, spices, and a thinner layer of raisins.  

Cover casserole dish and bake in a 350 degree oven until yams are fork tender, about 45 minutes.