Sweet Potato & Corn Fritters with Garlic Dipping Sauce

These are super tasty, but I gotta warn you, this recipe makes a lot. You will be kind of buried in fritters. It’s not a bad fate, precisely, but it is something to be aware of before you set out to fritternize without a large audience.  Both roommates appreciated these, particularly the contrast of the sweet corn and sweet potato against the spice of the cayenne and the strong, savory dipping sauce. (Make that early so it gets all delicious.)

Sweet Potato & Corn Fritters with Garlic Dipping Sauce, adapted from Budget Bytes

Fritters:
3 lbs. sweet potatoes
1 c. corn kernels (frozen is fine)
3 scallions, sliced thin
1 Tbsp. dried cilantro
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 egg, beaten
1/3 c. yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 c. panko breadcrumbs
oil for frying

Sauce (not pictured):
1 c. plain yogurt
1 clove garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Make the sauce: grate the garlic into the yogurt, mix well, add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate.

Cook sweet potatoes and scrape their flesh into a bowl.  (Microwaving them works fine for this; your goal is “cooked,” not fancy. If you boil them pop them back in the pan and stir them around over the heat after you drain them to get them a bit dried off.) Mash it up and mix in the corn, scallions, cilantro, cumin, salt, and cayenne. Taste for seasoning and adjust to your liking (if you don’t like spice, you may want to start out with less cayenne). Once the gloop is well-spiced, mix in the cornmeal, breadcrumbs and egg. Refrigerate for half an hour or so to let the bready stuff soak up some of the moisture, then shape into patties.

Heat oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add fritters to the pan, leaving room around them for turning. Cook for 5ish minutes on a side, flip, and cook until also deliciously browned on the second side. Drain on paper towels and serve with the garlic sauce. Eat with great gusto!

~ by iliadawry on 8 July 2012.