Sweet Potato Latkes

It’s not going to happen again for another seven thousand plus years, Chanukkah falling on the same date as U.S. Thanksgiving (although it could happen sooner on other holidays somewhere).  This is an artifact of the Jewish calendar (more lunar-oriented) being different from the common one (solar-oriented) we use in the West.  I suspect I won’t be around for the next occurrence.

At any rate, I tried my hand at latkes, in honor of both traditions.

Sweet Potato Latkes

And, as sweet potatoes are a frequent item at Thanksgiving repasts (preferably without those silly marshmallows), I decided to combine the best of both worlds and make sweet potato latkes, gluten-free.  AND marshmallow-free.   Seriously, sweet potatoes are called “sweet” potatoes because they are already sweet enough!

Here we go:  (Makes 4-6 latkes depending on patty size; scale up the recipe accordingly but one large/extra-large egg may be sufficient for two cups of sweet potato.)

Shredding into ugly bowl whose saving grace is that it won’t break if it gets dropped, like my favorite trivet did yesterday.

1 cup shredded sweet potato (this is about one moderately large sweet potato).  You may wish to peel, first (I simply peeled off the thicker, rougher portions of the skin, removing most of it).  Next time I may try the super fine grating option, but this worked nicely.
1 large egg
1/3 medium onion, diced
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt and ground pepper to taste
Oil for cooking (I used olive oil; sesame might add a new kick to this)

Mixture (prior to addition of seasonings)

Mix it all up with your hands, form some patties — make them thin and flat so they cook through without burning the outsides, heat up your oil to medium high, reduce heat to medium, or just under medium, as you add your latkes.  You can deep fry them, which is traditional; I chose not to — I used just enough oil to keep the skillet happy.

It is possible some of them may break up; they’ll still taste great, and most of mine held together just fine, only shedding a little potato on the edges.  Anyhow, about five minutes per side, then flip back for a final 30 seconds to the original side — so everything is hot.

Dish out, and serve.

Yes, it is now too late to make these for Chanukkah (or Thanksgiving) this year, but maybe this is something to think about serving at least twice next year!  (Or just plain anytime — I’ve never tried making latkes before, but I’ll certainly do them again.)

These are tasty and they are healthy — no added sweeteners, what can I say?  And they are quick and easy — three out of three ain’t bad!

Oh, I do want to say what I am thankful for:  decent health, good friends and family, making a few new classy friends this year (hello, Lis; Robin), finding an old friend or two as a blast from the past (hello, Kat; hello, Ken).  Finally getting my act together regarding my future retirement plans, and just simply beautiful sunrises and sunsets.  

Edit 2015:  Being that Thanksgiving is coming up once again… I am sharing this recipe with 
Savoring Saturdays