Sweet Potato Fritters!

My homestead harvest of sweet potatoes didntwont last through the winter season, thanks to deer who love the leaves and thought my sweet potato plot was their personal treat area.

So I bought a big box at the farmer’s market when they were cheap and plentiful.  These are stored in the cool part of the pantry, more preferably they go in the root cellar.  One layer is best instead of in the box they came in.  I lucked up on some large plastic soda crates from a distributor, cheap.  Perfect for storing root vegetables in a single layer  and they have plenty of air holes for circulation, and they can stack pretty high and out of the way.  These flat crates make it easy to check for spoilage.  And in the meantime, I already have a larger sweet potato plot planned for next season, along with some scheming plans to keep the deer out.

I love sweet potatoes.  With just 60 calories, sweet potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene).  They are also a very good source of vitamin C, manganese, copper, pantothenic acid and vitamin B6.  Additionally, they are a good source of potassium, dietary fiber, niacin, vitamin B1 and B2, and phosphorus.

One of my favorite wintertime staple foods is just simply baked sweet potatoes with fresh butter, and on occasion a little molasses or brown sugar added, then put under the broiler for just a minute to make a crispy sugary crust.  But there’s so many more ways to enjoy them.  I usually bake a few extra potatoes while the oven is hot, store in the fridge and then they can become any of half a dozen favorites in my kitchen the next day!  I love to make pancakes with them.  Or sweet potato fritters!  Very similar to pancakes, except that you have mostly potato and very little flour, so they have a different texture, moist and rich.

Sweet Potato Fritters
(makes about eight 4” fritters)

2-3 medium baked sweet potatoes
2 eggs
½ brown sugar
½ cup self rising flour
~or~
½ cup all purpose flour and 1 tablespoon baking soda and ½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons corn meal
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon clove
½ teaspoon nutmeg
2-3 Tablespoons milk if needed
¼ cup pecans or walnuts
¼ cup homemade raisins [make your own homemade raisins easy!]
½ cup dried fruit of your choice:  Diced dried apples, dried peaches,  dried cherries, dried cranberries, pineapple, coconut
Olive or coconut oil for frying in a cast iron skillet plus 1 tablespoon butter, melted together

Combine flour, corn meal, baking soda and salt and set aside.  Peel the baked potatoes.  Add egg and sugar, mix well.  Add dry ingredients to the bowl, along with milk as needed to make a thick batter.  Fold in fruit and nuts.  Heat cast iron skillet with oil and butter over medium heat.  Drop batter by spoonfuls into hot oil, pat down into a patty.  Let each side cook 3-5 minutes.  Remove to a plate.  Sprinkle with a little brown sugar and cinnamon, if desired.

These are great served as dessert with ice cream and drizzled with caramel. Or a rustic dessert with warm homemade chunky applesauce.  Or have them for breakfast with your favorite homemade jam or syrup (you know, the ‘jam’ that didn’t set up that you intentionally made for syrup!  Yeah that’s it, its syrup!).  Double the batch and freeze extra in parchment and a freezer bag, and just pop a couple in the toaster for a quick on-the-run ‘Thanks Mom!’ kind of breakfast!