Yam Casserole and Rosemary Asparagus

Tonight I made one of my favorite dishes of all time.  It's a yam cheese casserole.  The first time I had it was at my neighbors house on Thanksgiving.  My family had spent the day serving turkey dinners to the homeless in Seattle and did not plan on having a traditional meal.  However, our neighbors (and close friends) told us to come over and help ourselves to their leftovers.  We devoured this casserole like nobody's business.  My mom tweaked the recipe a bit (it was originally quite spicy, which is one of my acid reflux triggers) and since then it's been a thanksgiving and family staple.  This dish can also be made with sweet potatoes and is just as yummy.

Cheesy Yams

-cooking spray
-2-3 large yams or sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced into rounds
-coarse salt and ground pepper
-1 1/2 cups grated Chihuahua or Monterey Jack cheese (16oz)
-1 1/2 cups Cotija or French feta cheese, crumbled (60z)
-1 small onion, thinly sliced
-1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons mushroom broth
-1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In almost every recipe I forget this first step.  It's really important to remember to preheat the oven! Pam an 9" x 18" baking dish. Arrange half of the potatoes in dish, overlapping slices, sprinkling salt and pepper between layers.  After about 2 layers, sprinkle half of each cheese and top with onion.  Stir the cilantro into broth; drizzle over the onions.  Top with the remaining potatoes using the same layering technique.  Sprinkle with the remaining cheeses.  Cover with foil; bake for 30 or 40 minutes.  Remove foil and bake until very tender and top is well browned, about another 30 minutes.  Let cool slightly before serving.

So I definitely forgot to cover with foil and didn't bake it long enough.  It turned out fine, the yams were just a little firm.  And I am excited to eat leftovers for days!

I also made some sautéed asparagus to go with it.

Rosemary Asparagus

Asparagus, trimmed
salt and pepper
garlic powder
rosemary

Heat a little olive oil over in a skillet on medium.  Add asparagus and allow to cook for a few minutes.  When they've started browning add seasonings and cook to desired softness.