Getting ready for your first turkey or dissatisfied with the dry results you got last year? Not to worry--"Mr. Thanksgiving," Rick Rodgers, is here to teach Thanksgiving 101. And he ought to know. For the last eight years he has been traveling the country to teach his class as the media spokesperson for Perdue Farms, an industrial giant among turkey producers.
Make-Ahead: The yams can be parboiled and placed in their baking dish up to 8 hours before baking, covered tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated. The praline topping can be prepared up to 8 hours ahead, stored at room temperature.
This is one of my favorite dishes to demonstrate how yams don't have to be cloying sweet to be good. Whenever I make it, it never fails that someone remarks (or words to this effect), "I don't even like yams, but I could eat a whole dish of these!"
Makes 8 to 12 servings
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (about 2 ounces) finely chopped pecans
6 medium yams, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch thick rounds (about 3 pounds)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, heated
In a small bowl, using your fingers, work the brown sugar, butter, and flour together until well combined, then work in the pecans. Set aside. (The praline topping can be prepared up to 8 hours ahead, stored at room temperature.)
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the yams and cook just until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Do not overcook. They should be able to hold their shape when drained. Drain and rinse under cold running water.
Preheat the oven to 375° F. Lightly butter a 9 X 13-inch baking dish. Overlapping in vertical rows, place the yams in the prepared dish. (The yams can be parboiled and placed in their baking dish up to 8 hours before baking, covered tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated.) Pour the cream over the yams. Bake for 20 minutes. Crumble the pecan mixture over the yams and continue baking until the yams are tender and the topping is browned, 20 to 30 more minutes. Serve hot.
