Sweet Potato and Apple Latkes With Ginger and Sweet Spices

Sweet Potato and Apple Latkes With Ginger and Sweet Spices
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
4(186)
Comments
Read comments

I found that the best way to make these so they cook through without burning is to make small latkes, using about 2 tablespoons of the mixture for each one. You can also finish them in the oven.

Featured in: Vegetable Latkes: A New Twist on a Hanukkah Staple

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Ingredients

Yield:About 40 small latkes, serving 6 to 8
  • pound red-fleshed sweet potatoes (yams), peeled and grated – about 5 cups grated
  • 1cup grated apple, preferably a slightly tart variety such as Braeburn
  • 2teaspoons fresh lime juice
  • 1 to 2teaspoons grated fresh ginger (to taste)
  • 2teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1teaspoon baking powder
  • Salt to taste
  • 3tablespoons oat bran
  • 3tablespoon matzo meal or all-purpose flour
  • 2eggs, beaten
  • About ¼ cup canola, grape seed or rice bran oil
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

175 calories; 8 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 24 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 289 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Begin heating a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment and place a rack over another sheet pan.

  2. Step 2

    Place the grated sweet potatoes in a large bowl. Toss the grated apple with the lime juice and add to the sweet potatoes, along with the ginger, spices, baking powder, salt, oat bran and matzo meal or flour. Taste and adjust salt. Add the beaten eggs and stir together.

  3. Step 3

    Take a ¼ cup measuring cup and fill with 2 tablespoons of the mixture. Reverse onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining latke mix. You should have enough to make about 40 latkes.

  4. Step 4

    Add the oil to the pan and when it is hot (hold your hand a few inches above – you should feel the heat), slide a spatula under one portion of the latke mixture and press down with the spatula to flatten. Repeat with more mounds. In my 10-inch pan I can cook four at a time without crowding; my 12-inch pan will accommodate five or six. Cook on one side until golden brown, about three minutes. Slide the spatula underneath and flip the latkes over. Cook on the other side until golden brown, another two to three minutes. Transfer to the rack set over a baking sheet. Try one latke and if it is still a bit chewy in the middle transfer them to the baking sheet and place in the oven for 10 minutes, until golden brown and soft in the center.

  5. Step 5

    Serve hot topped with applesauce and low-fat sour cream, thick Greek yogurt or crème fraîche if desired.

Ratings

4 out of 5
186 user ratings
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Comments

Does anyone proof read these things? What is the purpose of using the 1/4 cup but only putting 2 Tbsp of mix in it, essentially filling it half full? I figured it was meant to work as a mold so are we supposed to pack the mix down into the cup? I tried that but the mix certainly did not release out of the cup cleanly. Why do we put them on parchment paper temporarily instead of just dropping the mix right into the frying pan?

Are we really supposed to preheat the oven throughout this entire process just in case they fry too quickly and aren't soft enough in the middle? If we slide the spatula under the portion of the latke mixture and press down aren't we just pressing down on the sheet pan? I assume this is the sentence where crucial, yet inexplicably omitted, step of actually putting the mixture into the cooking oil should be inserted.

With 4 in the frying pan at a time do you really get through 10 batches on a single 1/4 cup of oil? We doubled the binder ingredients and it still wasn't quite enough. Yams don't have nearly as much moisture as potatoes so with twice the egg and grains they still barely held together. Think of this recipe as the inspiration for a great dish but understand that you're still going to have to figure out how to make it properly yourself, because the author has not yet done so.

It is possible that this is a good recipe. But I agree with other commenters: it is so poorly and confusedly written that you will have to figure out for yourself what to do with this ingredient list. I like the idea of a sweet potato-apple latke tho!

To make them bind together, I added a little bit of sour cream. They came out great!

Definitely needs tweaks in order to hold together. Nice flavour, but I'd have to make a number of adjustments, per others' comments, to make it truly hang together, and I have some of the same questions (why the laying out on the sheet pan before making them, how does the measuring actually add up...) as others posted.

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