Apparently I really like making vegetable cakes. Patties. Whatever you want to call them. First, black bean cakes (my FAVORITE). Then we’ve had jalapeño corn cakes, sweet potato quinoa cakes, chickpea veggie patties, and I’m sure many more I’m forgetting. Oh yeah, the spicy zucchini fritters! Something about taking vegetables, mushing them into little patties, and crisping up the sides gets me EVERY TIME! Healthy, but delicious. And eaaasy.
I’ve been craving sweet potatoes lately, so these were a product of that insanity. I was hankering for some sweet potato fries, but still lacking a working oven, so I went this route instead. I cooked up some sweet potato and garlic on the stove (you could do this in the oven, if you have one!), mashed them up with some spices, then pan fried them in little patties.
The sauce for this is ESSENTIAL. Seriously, it makes the dish. It’s spicy, REALLY flavorful, and downright incredible. Don’t skip it.
I served mine on a bed of arugula, which I though was perfect for some texture, greens, and a little bite. I’m sure these would also be great on a bed of rice or quinoa. My patties were not incredibly sturdy, enough to flip and stay together but still pretty fragile… if you want more structure, add whole wheat flour one Tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is a bit more dry.
- olive oil
- 2 sweet potatoes, cubed into ½" chunks
- 6 large garlic cloves (peeled)
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ tsp dried rosemary
- 1 jalapeño, diced and seeded
- 5 scallions, chopped
- salt & pepper
- 1 cup cilantro, chopped and divided
- the zest of 1 lime
- 1 14oz can coconut milk
- 1 shallot, diced
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 1 14oz can diced tomatoes
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp rosemary
- salt & pepper
- the juice of 1 lime
- fresh arugula for serving
- In a large frying pan, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil. Add the sweet potato cubes and whole garlic cloves.
- Mix in allspice, cumin, red pepper flakes, rosemary, and jalapeño. Cook over medium heat until fork-tender, about 20 minutes. Add most of the scallions, saving a few for garnish, for the last two minutes of cooking.
- Remove from heat, season with salt, pepper, and mash with a potato masher or immersion blender until semi-smooth. Small chunks are fine. Stir in ½ cup of the chopped cilantro, and the lime zest. Refrigerate for a few minutes while you get the sauce cooking.
- In a sauce pan or another large frying pan, combine the coconut milk, shallot, red pepper, tomatoes, paprika, and rosemary. Cook for 20 minutes, then remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper, add the remaining ½ cup of cilantro and juice of the lime. Use an immersion blender to puree until very smooth.
- To fry the patties, heat another 2 Tbsp olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Drop ⅛ cup of sweet potato mixture into the skillet at a time, flattening with a spatula. Alternatively, use your hands to form small patties and place them in the pan.
- Cook for a few minutes on each side, until browning.
- Serve on a bed of arugula, with plenty of sauce.
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When I saw this recipe on my feed, I was pretty sure you read my mind. I’ve been craving fall flavors like sweet potatoes and this looks like the perfect recipe for that!
This sounds amazing! I love the idea of sweet potato with a rich coconut sauce. Sounds fresh and tropical and yet completely homey and satiating all at once. 🙂
wow! veggie, gluten free and looks totally yummy! thanks a lot for this recipe!
Is this” serves 4″ with 2 cakes each? So 8 cakes worth in recipe? thanks!
Hi Snap! Total cake number will depend on how big you make them, but I found it to be enough to feed 4! Enjoy! xo
What size canned tomatoes did you use? My sweet potatoes are on the stove and I’m getting ready to make the sauce!
Hi Cathy! I used a 14oz can — I hope yours turned out okay! xo