Yotam's Sweet Potato Cakes

Just about any recipe with the word “pancakes” in the title "grabs" my attention.  I remember graduating from high school and my friend Katriona bought me a book that was about 50 pages long with various pancake recipes. I recall salivating through the entire book.

This weekend with @makesascene and @ELB29, we scarfed down "johnnycakes" which will be provided to you in a future blog post. I was sitting there watching all the other tables getting their dishes while we waited and waited, and I realized how the very notion of pancakes makes me impatient. I'm Pavlov's dog when it comes to these quick fried devils.

Plenty Cookbook Cover

So it should come as little surprise when @ELB29 told me that she had made a dinner for her mom, dad, and a very picky brother out of one giant jewel sweet potato, some green onions, and a side salad.

It sounded far-fetched, but the pictures from YOTAM OTTOLENGHI’S PLENTY were compelling. I had to give it a go. While it's delicious as a dish, I have to say I think most guests would find this to not be a dinner. For me, as a former vegan, this is very much a dinner. The sum total is quite heavy.

Thinking aloud, I do not see why you couldn't make these into tiny fingerfood bites and serve as an appetizer. So go on, show Yotam what you can do to adapt his recipes...

Sweet Potato Fritters

Ingredients

For the Potato Cakes

2 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks

2 t soy sauce

3/4 c flour

1 t salt

½ t sugar

3 T spring onion, chopped

½ t fresh chilli, finely chopped (or more, to taste)

olive oil, for frying

For the sauce

6 T Greek yogurt

2 t olive oil

1 T lemon juice

1 T fresh coriander, chopped

Freshly ground salt and pepper

Frying in the Pan, Awaiting the Plate

Instructions

Bake the sweet potato at 350 degrees in about 1/2″ of water in a non-stick flat pan until soft for about two hours or until soft. Meanwhile, whisk the sauce ingredients until smooth and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, work all the fritter ingredients by hand–it should be sticky, so if it’s a little runny, add flour as needed. I found you need all 3/4 of a cup. Do not over-mix.

Using a tablespoon, form a rounded bit of batter and drop into some hot oil that only lightly coats the bottom of the pan. Flatten with the top of a spatula after you flip. Brown both sides. Make them about 1/4″ thick. Six minutes per side is ideal. Place between plenty of papertowel to soak up the excess oil.

Serve hot or warm, with the sauce on the side, and a crisp green salad.

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