Sweet potato latkes with green onions, jalapeño and ancho pepper powder finished with melted cheddar, topped with lime sour cream and chives. Appetizer, side dish or perfect dish.
Preparation:
Cook:
Level: Easy
Serves: 8
Ingredients
- ½ pound Sweet potatoes
- 2 Shallots, finely chopped white and green stems
- ¼ Jalapeño pepper, seeded, finely chopped, about 1 tbsp
- 2 tablespoons All purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoons Ancho chili powder
- ⅛ teaspoons Black pepper
- 1 Large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tbsp Avocado oil (or other high heat oil), or more as needed
- 1-½ tbsp Sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
- 1 tbsp Finely chopped chives, to garnish
- FOR THE LIME SOUR CREAM:
- 2 tablespoons Sour cream
- 1 teaspoon Lime juice
Preparation
Peel the sweet potato and coarsely grate it using the larger holes of a hand grater. Add the grated potatoes to a bowl and press down with a few paper towels until fairly dry. Add green onions, jalapeño, flour, salt, ancho pepper powder and black pepper. Mix lightly with your hands to coat the grated sweet potato.
Add the egg and mix well with a fork. Form 8 haystacks of latke, each just over 2 tablespoons (1/8 cup), and place them on a plate or wooden board next to the stove. Feel free to double the size for a latkes side or entree.
Heat oil in a deep 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Carefully arrange the latke haystacks around the skillet. They should sizzle a little when they touch the oil, but not splatter. Gently flatten with a fork to about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Cook until golden brown, about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes per side. Look for the edges to start to crisp. Gently flip with the fork. They should not separate at all. If they do, they should get a little crispier. Immediately place a little grated cheddar on top, and cook for another 3 minutes. You may need to cover them for the last 30 seconds to melt the cheese.
Place a cooling rack over paper towels. Transfer the latkes with a spatula or fork to a cooling rack to drain. Although this recipe uses very little oil, draining them directly on paper towels can make them a little oily unless you remove them immediately. I prefer to use a cooling rack.
In a small bowl, combine sour cream and lime juice.
While still warm (but not hot), spoon a dollop of sour cream over each latke and finish with a drizzle of chives. These are best eaten hot. For an appetizer, you don’t need more than 2 bites, and 1 bite is even better.
Note: another topping is applesauce.
