Baked Yams, Crispy Tandoori Chickpeas & Tahini Lime Drizzle

I'm writing this post on Halloween morning and it's the first cool day of fall (always pleased when it's sweater weather). Know you're seeing this the day after, and hope you had a fun evening with the trick or treaters.

Roasted yam wedges are common fare in our house, usually lightly slicked with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkled with salt, Aleppo pepper and coriander powder, and roasted until crispy like fries. Makes for a terrific side dish. Even "Supergirl" Marlowe (see pictures below) loves them.

However, this satisfying entree fits the bill for a meatless meal while having enough flavor, heft and protein to satisfy our carnivore tastes. It's also perfect for the cooler weather we have coming.

Servings: 2-3

Ingredients

• 2 large red-skinned orange-flesh Garnet yams

Crispy Tandoori Chickpeas

• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas
• 1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ¼  teaspoon curry
• ¾ teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika
• ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• Pinch or more cayenne pepper
• Kosher salt

Tahini Lime Sauce

• ½ cup Tahini
• ¼ cup warm water, or more if needed 
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
• Salt & pepper

Toppings

• 2-3 scallions, green and white parts, minced
• 2 tablespoons cilantro
• Toasted sesame seeds and black sesame seeds

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 °F. Scrub yams and dry. Poke a few holes in yam with a fork. Place yams on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for approximately 40-60 minutes. Yams are done when knife penetrates easily. Keep warm and set aside. Keep oven on.
2. Rinse and drain chickpeas, then dry by rolling them around in a kitchen towel (very important that chickpeas are dry or they won't get crunchy). Combine the oil, curry, smoked paprika, cumin, turmeric, cayenne and salt in a large bowl. Add chickpeas and toss to coat evenly. Transfer chickpeas to a foil-lined baking sheet and spread out in a single layer. Bake until crispy, 25-35 minutes. For super crunchy chickpeas bake for 40 minutes. Shake tray every 10 minutes.
3. While chickpeas are baking, make the tahini sauce. Whisk tahini, ¼ cup warm water (or more if needed to make a drizzle sauce), 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, lime juice, grated garlic,  and salt and pepper (to taste) until well combined.
4. Cut yams in half. Spoon tandoori chickpeas over yam. Sprinkle with scallions, cilantro and sesame seeds. Drizzle with tahini sauce.