Shredded Sweet Potato Pancakes

Seems like recently l've been doing a lot of cooking with sweet potatoes. They're just so darn tasty. Growing up I was only introduced to the mashed variety, which I wasn't really keen for, and have really been enjoying branching out in the sweet potato world. 


That said, these Sweet Potato Pancakes were last night's dinner. I had initially planned to make the little guys with chicken and corn on the cob ... needless to say, after we saw how much the recipe made (a dozen!) we decided we'd gorge ourselves only on the pancakes :) For this recipe, you have to grate the potatoes - which is a lot easier than it sounds. Sweet potatoes are brutal to chop up and I find grating them much, much easier.Gives them a neat consistency too. The recipe I had called for sour cream as a side, but we went for plain yoghurt instead for a slightly healthier alternative. Also, if you wanted a 'sweeter' variety, you could substitute some nutmeg and cinnamon for the onions. If you 1/2'ed them, I think that these would make nice little appetizers. Or, like us, just serve em' up for dinner! Bon Appétit! 


ps - I don't know if this photo does these little guys any justice... they were very, VERY tasty. 


Ingredients:
- 1 pound sweet potato, peeled
- 3 scallions, trimmed and finely chopped
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- coarse salt & freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- sour cream or plain yoghurt, for serving (optional)


Directions:
1. Coarsely grate the sweet potatoes on the large holes of a box grater (or use a food processor fitted with the shredding blade). Transfer to a large bowl; stir in scallions, eggs, flour, 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper.
2. Using a packed 1/4-cup measure per pancake, divide your potato mixture into 12 portions, placing them on a baking sheet. Form each into a firm ball with your hands, then flatten into 3/4" thick cakes.
3. In a large skillet, heat 1/2 of your oil over medium heat until shimmering. Using a metal spatula, carefully place 6 pancakes in the skillet; flatten to about 1/2" thick. 
4. Cook until golden brown, 4-5 minutes per side. 
5. Transfer your pancakes to a paper towel-lined platter, sprinkle with salt. Repeat with remaining cakes. Serve hot, with sour cream or yoghurt alongside if desired.


* to keep these pancakes from browning too much, cook them over medium (NOT HIGH) heat, and lower the temperature if they start to darken too quickly.