February 27: Yummy, Yammy Salad

This was pretty adventurous, but it paid off big time! This salad is a triumph, deserving top marks. The dressing was perfect on it, and the combination of flavours and textures was scrumptious.

Today I was thinking about potato salad, and how much I used to enjoy it before my tummy started to hate potatoes. Luckily, I can still eat yams, and since Mom roasted some for dinner last night, I decided to invent a yam salad with the leftovers. The first thing I realized was that this could not actually be anything like a potato salad. Yam and eggs? You don't have to be a genius to know that is not a winning combination, and luckily, I am not a genius. So, I investigated the fridge and came up with this combination. I couldn't believe how well it turned out! The sui choy was crisp, but not hard, making it much better for this dish than celery, which was my first inclination.

I'm still visiting my parents, and this little soup dish and saucer are part of Mom's everyday china; Glen Auldyn from Royal Dalton. They're not antique, and they are dishwasher and microwave safe, but they are still very dainty, and according to my dad, as pricey as they are pretty. Mom is not impressed by this assessment; she has a different internal scale for china, one that takes into account important several factors. Things like how pretty it is, and who made it and when. And even more important factors like how much she wants it and how much she can get for it on that mythical day when she decides to actually part with even one piece of china.

Recipe:
Roasted Yams- Cut yams into one-inch slices. Place on a cookie sheet and brush both sides with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Roast in a hot oven (425 F), turning once so that both sides brown.
They take about 20 minutes to cook. Test with a fork and remove from oven when they are tender right through.
Salad- after the yams have cooled, pull off the peels and cube them. Cut ham in cubes, and dice sui choy, including the stems. Use equal amounts of the three ingredients. Add a drizzle of vegetable oil, a splash of balsmic vinegar and a little sugar. Toss carefully, as the yams are quite fragile. Chill for at least an hour before serving.

Salad-