Let us now praise that trinity of sauces. Sesame. Soy sauce. Mirin.
Sesame oil! Fragrant, nutty. Instantly recognizable. The base note.
Soy sauce! Salt with umami. The mid-note.
Mirin! Sweet, with a ricey mouthfeel. The top note.
Add it on Korean yams, and you have one of my favorite snacks. I like to keep roasted sweet potatoes on hand for carby snacking. If you do that, then making this is just one easy step away. It's sweet, savory, earthy. I personally like Korean yams for this because they are dryer and nuttier than sweet potatoes (which are, comparatively, wet, sweet). Think chestnuts over pumpkin.
RECIPE: Wash, pierce, and roast Korean yams in 400 degree oven for 35 minutes, or until a fork can easily be slipped in with just slight resistance (you don't want it too mushy). Remove from oven and slice along the length, about 3/4 of the way to the bottom. Mix 2 parts soy sauce, 1 part mirin, 1 part sesame oil. Add some rice vinegar, too, to lighten it up. Pour on top of yams, making sure to get in the cracks. Roast for another 10 minutes, until glaze has infused.
Highly recommend eating with fingers, dragging the pieces through the residual sauce.