I had a bit of Ghanaian yams left so I came up with this baked yams with caramelized onions recipe to use up the yams. It turned out so well that I had to share. I made this as a side dish for pan-fried salmon but it’ll probably go really well with baked red snapper or white fish. You can also have this as a vegetarian main dish with fresh salad on the side.
How to Make Baked Ghanaian Yams with Caramelized Onions
You’ll need a small Ghanaian yam (also called white yam) for this recipe. You can get Ghanaian yams from a store that carries African groceries. If you can’t find Ghanaian yams, you can use Jamaican yellow yams or russet potatoes as a substitute. Remove the skin of the yam and slice the yam width-wise into ½ inch thick pieces.
Wash the sliced yams and place them in a bowl. Cover the yams with warm water and let sit for 30 minutes to remove some of the starchiness; if you’re using potatoes, you can omit this step as potatoes aren’t as starchy as yams. Slice one large red onion width-wise into rings. Melt 1/4 a stick of butter in a frying pan. Add 1 teaspoon of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, and 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme to the butter and cook on low-medium heat until the butter turns brown, about 3 minutes.
Pour the brown butter into a small bowl, then place the onion slices in the frying pan, leaving the butter residue in the pan. Add salt (to taste) and caramelize the onions on low-medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally with a cooking spoon. Drain the water from the yams, add ½ teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of the brown butter to the yams and mix well.
Place the yams on a greased baking pan and bake on each side for 15 minutes at 350°F (175°C) or until the yams are golden brown on each side. Pour the baked yams into the frying pan with the caramelized onions. Pour the rest of the brown butter onto the yams and mix everything together. Place the frying pan in the oven and bake the yams and caramelized onions for 5 minutes or until everything is baked to your liking. Enjoy!
Other Ghanaian Dishes You Might Like
Baked Ghanaian Yams with Caramelized Onions
Ingredients
- 1 small or medium Ghanaian yam
- 1 large red onion (sliced into rings)
- ¼ stick of butter
- 1 tsp garlic (minced)
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp salt (plus more to taste)
Instructions
- Remove the yam skin, slice the yam width-wise into ½ inch thick pieces and wash them under running water.
- Place the yams in a bowl, add warm water to cover the yams and let it rest for 30 minutes to reduce some of the starchiness.
- Place the butter in a frying pan, add the minced garlic, black pepper, and fresh thyme to the butter and cook on low-medium heat until the butter is browned, about 3 minutes.
- Remove the frying pan from the heat and pour the butter mixture into a small bowl.
- Place the onion slices in the frying pan, leaving the butter residue in the pan. Add salt to taste and caramelize the onions on low-medium heat for 10 minutes.
- Drain the water from the yams, add salt and 1 tablespoon of the brown butter to the yams and mix everything together.
- Oil a baking pan, place the yams on the pan and bake on each side for 15 minutes at 350°F (175°C) or until the yams are golden brown on each side.
- Scoop the baked yams onto the frying pan with the caramelized onions. Pour the rest of the brown butter onto the yams and combine everything together. Place the frying pan in the oven for 5 minutes or until everything is heated to your liking.
2 Comments
D
December 25, 2023 at 10:09 pmI looked up this recipe once I understood the difference between yams and sweet potatoes.
The recipe has simple ingredients and was easy to make but it was TASTY!!!
Meals by Mavis
December 31, 2023 at 3:06 pmThanks for commenting. I’m glad to hear that you liked the recipe.