Everyone in my home loves Sweet Potato Latkes, even my littlest ones. Savory, aromatic, and melt-in-your mouth delicious, they are oh so satisfying — particularly when fried in a flavorful fat like coconut oil or bacon grease.

These latkes use just a hint of buckwheat flour & eggs to hold them together. Contrary to it’s name, buckwheat is not a cereal grain. It’s the seed of a flower, and it can be ground fine into a powder. It also happens to be gluten-free and relatively low in phytic acids, so it’s easier for our bodies to digest.

The Players

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, grated
• 1 scallion or green onion
• 1 egg (from pastured hens!)
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup sprouted buckwheat flour
• 1/4 cup of extra virgin coconut oil or bacon grease (yes, these are HEALTHY fats!)

The How-To

Begin by grating your sweet potatoes and gathering your ingredients. These will come together quickly, so it helps to be prepared!

Next, chop up your scallion (I use the whole plant, minus the roots at the end). In a large mixing bowl, combine the chopped scallion with the egg.

Now, add in your salt, pepper, & flour and stir until well mixed.

Now for the fun part. Add your grated sweet potatoes to your flour mixture and mix it together well. I use my hands for this, as it helps to sqeeze moisture out of the sweet potatoes and make sure all the ingredients are evenly distributed.

In a skillet, heat the oil over a high flame until hot but not smoking. Whatever you do, don’t use a flavorless fat like lard for this. These latkes are what they are because of all the great tasting fat they soak up when frying! So use an aromatic, flavorful oil like unrefined coconut oil or bacon grease. In this example, I’m using coconut oil.

Form the sweet potatoes into patties and place in your heated oil.

Turn the flame down to medium and let cook until golden, then flip and cook the other side until golden. When done, remove to a serving plate. After they’ve cooled for a minute or so, serve them with a dollop of cultured sour cream or creme fraiche on top.

This recipe is cross-posted at Food Renegade.