Sweet Potato Latkes

A few facts about latkes: Latkes are a Jewish food and are traditionally served on Hanukkah. They’re traditionally made from potatoes because potatoes were plentiful in Eastern Europe. They’re traditionally fried in oil or rendered poultry fat. These facts may point you toward an important conclusion: Latkes are delicious, culturally significant…and not really that good for your body. Unless you make them this way, with nutrient-dense sweet potatoes and by switching up the cooking method.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup onion, grated
1 1/2 pounds sweet potato, peeled and shredded
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, grounded
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, grounded
1 Cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Coat bottom of baking pan with oil.
3. Combine grated onion and potatoes in a colander and use paper towels to squeeze out excess moisture.
4. Sift flour and baking powder into onion-potato mixture.
5. Add eggs, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Toss with hands to mix thoroughly.
6. Shape into 8 evenly divided 1/4-inch thick pancakes, squeezing out excess liquid.
7. Lightly coat top sides of pancakes with cooking spray and bake at 425° for 20 minutes. Use spatula to flip pancakes over and cook for an additional 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.

WHY WE LOVE THIS RECIPE Sweet potatoes are a nutritionally-sweet deal! These tasty tubers are higher in fiber, beta-carotene, and vitamin C than white potatoes, and they’re great sources of complex carbohydrates! By baking these puppies instead of frying them, you’re cutting down on unnecessary fat. Amp up the volume with the addition of cinnamon and nutmeg makes these latkes super tasty, and provides an antioxidant boost! For a delicious complement to these little treats, try adding a dollop of reduced-fat sour cream and unsweetened applesauce. Sweet potatoes are a great source of complex carbohydrates and are higher in fiber, and vitamin C than white potatoes. They also contain carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin, which are important for eye health and vision performance.