First order of business: I braised the boeuf en daube that I was marinating since yesterday (February 21, 2010). The meat was indeed tender and delicately infused with the red wine, garlic, onions, carrots, and thyme. However, the overall dish didn't appeal to me; I didn't like the thin sauce. Instead of reducing the liquid over high heat, as Mark Bittman wrote, I whisked in a buerre manie made from 2 tablespoons each of clarified butter (ghee) and flour, then cooked it over medium high heat until the sauce was nicely thickened. It improved the daube but I prefer the complexity of flavors in the sauces of other stews, such as boeuf bourgignon or Hungarian goulash.
Back to today: To accompany the daube, I made fresh egg noodles, steamed farm-fresh broccoli and brilliant orange mashed yams. I actually prepared only one enormous yam which was enough for three servings. Yams and sweet potatoes are often confused with each other. In fact, they belong to entirely different plant families. Sweet potatoes are distantly related to the potato whereas yams are from the genus dioscorea. They high in vitamin C, dietary fiber and potassium. Plus, yams contain less starch than the sweet potato thereby giving them a lighter texture.
MAPLE YAM MASHYams, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
Butter or ghee
Natural maple syrup
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg
Place the prepared yams into a pot; cover with salted water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer 10 to 15 minutes, or until yams are tender. Add a tablespoon or so of butter and maple syrup to every 2 cups of yams (or to taste). Mash until smooth. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, to taste.
*By all means, sweet potatoes can be substituted for yams in this recipe. Just keep in mind they are starchier and drier so you may want to add a little liquid , such as freshly squeezed orange juice.
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