Smoky yam and black bean burgers

First of all, a controversial question; In your world are these…

…yams or sweet potatoes? Hmmm… In my world, and that of my family, they’re most definitely yams. But a growing number of people seem to be calling them sweet potatoes. Is this some weird Canadian thing to call it a yam? I would argue that the similar ones with white flesh are sweet potatoes, and that the orange ones are yams. I decided to get to the bottom of it today and Googled it, only to end up as baffled, if not more, than I was to begin with. Seriously, Google images of “yam vs sweet potato”, it seems this is an issue of confusion the world over. One pictures shows the yam as orange and the sweet potato as white, and the one right next to it shows the opposite.

Who knows? What ever it’s called though, I like them, and especially the orange ones (yam.. A-hrum-hrum). As a kid we always had them mashed as part of Christmas dinner. Now as an adult I have them in the house all of the time and probably eat them at least three times a week in various forms. They’re delicious and seriously good for you to boot.

Well, nothing like a semantics of tubers debate to get your Saturday night started.

Anyway, today I’ve been doing this blog for two weeks. Hooray!!! The purpose of doing this in the first place was to find more enjoyment in life and so far it’s exceeded my expectations. This afternoon I found myself balanced on a kitchen chair, photographing yams, engaged, and loving every moment. Magnificent.

So I think that this recipe is a great way to celebrate a wonderful couple of weeks as it combines two of my all time favourite things, yams and black beans.

As someone mildly obsessed with looking at food on Pinterest (okay…seriously obsessed…)the combination of yam and black beans is one you see a lot. Loads of people have a version of this burger, and for very good reason; it’s delicious, filling and versatile. I love the version that Kate’s got over at Cookie and Kate (one of my favourite blogs). The basic ingredients are yam and black bean (obviously) with some kind of grain mixed into it. This gives you loads of scope to experiment and change things up, try out different flavours and grains, and see what you like.

I’ve made these ones smoky with the smoked paprika, and added a little heat with the chilli powder and jalapeno.

These burgers are also a perfect way to load up on your veg. As is, the yam would count as one of your five a day, and the beans would probably count toward it too. If you top it with avocado, tomato, greens, or all of the above you’ve got a tasty way to get in your veggies. You can also make these fried, as I have, or you can bake them. You could even try them on the grill, if you were gentle with them that might work nicely and enhance the smoky flavour.

I made some grainy buns to go along with the burgers, but it was from this weird recipe that did not turn out the way that I would have liked, in fact during proving they turned into a strange blob-ous mass, not ideal, and then just all went hideously awry during baking. But hey, that keeps it exciting and I’m now determined to turn it into a recipe that I like. I love a challenge, especially if it involves bread!

Smoky yam and black bean burgers

2015-08-15 13:55:20

A hearty and filling vegetarian burger made with yam, black beans and millet with smoked paprika and a bit of chilli heat.

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Ingredients

1. 100g dried black beans, cooked
2. 500g raw yams, baked in skin
3. 50g millet
4. 150mL water
5. 75g oats
6. 1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
7. 2 cloves of garlic, crushed, or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
8. 1 tsp chili powder
9. 1 tsp smoked paprika
10. 1/2 tsp salt
11. 2 tsp oil

Instructions

1. Set the millet and water in a medium pot over medium-hot heat and cover. Bring it to the boil then reduce the temperature and allow it to simmer until the water is absorbed and the millet is cooked, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Scoop the flesh of the yams from the skin into a large bowl and mash well until it’s quite smooth.
3. Stir in the millet and then the bean, mixing them until well combined and some of the beans are a bit squashed.
4. Stir in the remaining ingredients until well combined and season more if needed.
5. Form the mixture into six patties and place them on a parchment lined baking tray in the fridge. Leave them to chill for about an hour.
6. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. When the oil is hot gently place 3 of the patties in and allow them to cook about 5 minutes, until the bottom is golden and crispy, then flip them and repeat on the other side.
7. Repeat with the remaining three patties.
8. Serve on a bun with plenty of veg and with guacamole or salsa.

Notes

1. If you'd prefer to bake these place them on a lightly greased baking tray in an oven heated to 180 degrees Celsius, leave them for 15 minutes, or until the underside is golden, then flip them and leave them for about another 15 minutes.

Roots & Wren https://rootsandwren.com/