Baked Yams With Cashew Crunch

The other day at my local Whole Foods market they had these huge ugly yet somehow intriguing Japanese sweet potatoes.  With the flavors of Thanksgiving still fresh in my memory I made this easy little side dish.  It went over very well with the tasting panel (my husband and my two boys, 22 and 27).  The Japanese sweet potatoes were a real treat.

Serves 6 to 10 ^[1]

2 very large Japanese Sweet Potatoes (Purple on the outside and yellow inside)

2 very large Garnet Yams

2 very large sweet potatoes (yellow on the outside and creamy yellow on the inside)

1/ 4 teaspoon strong cinnamon

6 teaspoons coconut oil

3 teaspoons packed brown sugar

Topping:

1/ 4 cup whole raw cashews

3/ 4 cup coarsely chopped raw cashews

1/ 4 cup coconut oil

1/ 4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/ 4 cup packed light brown sugar

Heat oven to 400° F.  Wash yams and sweet potatoes, dry them and place them in a large throw away aluminum foil pan.  Place pan in oven and bake for two hours, until sugar is oozing out of yams and the flesh is very soft.  Let yams and sweet potatoes cool to the touch and then, scoop out the pulp into three medium size bowls.

Heat oven again to 350° F.  Add 1/3 of measured cinnamon to each bowl, and then add, 2 teaspoons of coconut oil, and 1 teaspoon packed brown sugar to each bowl.  Mash and mix each different potato, until smooth and fluffy and then, set bowls aside. ^[2]

In a forth medium bowl, combine cashews, coconut oil, cinnamon, and brown sugar.  Make topping by mixing ingredients with your fingertips, as for a crumble.

Place three different colored potatoes in a medium baking dish in a pattern, for example three lines yellow, orange, creamy color.  Evenly distribute cashew topping, crumbling it over the top of baking dish.  ^[3]Bake yams and sweet potatoes for about one half hour uncovered, until bubbly and brown.  Great for a Hanukah buffet.