At the end of my CSA share season - a generous mid December box - my box of vegetables that I keep in a dark, cool closet for storing begins to be very heavy. Potatoes, sweet potatoes of many varieties, squashes, and more give me a workout every time I reach for them. But reach for them I do and they last me until it's nearly spring and I'm already looking forward to the beginning of my next CSA share season!
Fritters are an excellent way to incorporate delicious and healthy vegetables into your diet without finding yourself feeling like you're on a diet or missing something. These sweet potato fritters are baked, not fried. However, they still boast the same tender interior and crisp exterior fritters are known for and these pack a lot of flavor into each snackable patty. You can use any variety of sweet potato and can tweak the seasoning blend to suit your tastes, but I really enjoy the one outlined below. You can opt for a drizzle of your favorite salad dressing or sauce on these, but I like the lighter, tangy flavor that comes with a simple seasoned drizzle of Greek yogurt.
I like to nestle a few of these on top of a fun winter salad. Any will work, but have you tried the Rutabaga and Apple Slaw from a couple of weeks ago? The sweet in the salad and the sweet in the fritters play well with one another while the dressing and seasoning in both dishes keep it fun and interesting. Of course, you can also just pop one or two in your mouth as a snack! However you serve them, enjoy!
Baked Sweet Potato Fritters
- Non-stick cooking spray
- 1 pound sweet potatoes
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅓ cup all purpose flour
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon Penzeys Justice seasoning or similar seasoning blend
Preheat the oven to 400° F. Grease a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.
Peel the sweet potatoes. Grate them using the large holes of a box grater or a food processor fitted with the grating disc. Gently squeeze the shredded potatoes with a towel to remove any excess moisture.
Combine the shredded sweet potatoes, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, black pepper, flour, and green onions in a large bowl. Stir in the egg.
Portion the fritter batter by the ¼-cup-full - a 2 ounce ice cream disher works perfectly for this. Form the batter into patties, but do not pack it too tight. Space them 2-3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake the fritters for 25-30 minutes in the preheated oven until they are browned on both sides, flipping them halfway through baking.
While they are baking stir the yogurt and the seasoning together. Serve the fritters on top of your favorite winter salad and drizzled with the yogurt sauce.
- Yields: 4 servings
- Preparation Time: 45 minutes