Although autumn is commonly associated with all things pumpkin, it also happens to be the sweet potatoes season. I love sweet potatoes so I came up with a new recipe featuring these orange beauties today. This simple recipe for sweet potato fritters features only a handful of staple ingredients and comes together quickly. They can be baked or fried and are absolutely delicious with a side of a zingy and spicy chipotle dip.

These sweet potato fritters are really versatile. Although, like most fritters, they are probably most delicious fried, I regularly enjoy these baked too.

When frying these sweet potato fritters, the key thing is to use a well seasoned or a non-stick pan, to pre-heat that pan really well and to add enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. The next key thing is to pre-heat the oil before arranging the fritters on it. The next key thing is to not overcrowd the pan as that would inhibit browning and finally not to flip these too soon. Set the flame (setting) to medium and allow the fritters to fry undisturbed for a few minutes before flipping them gently. This will create a seal and the fritters won’t fall apart when flipped – although you still need to be gentle – most things are fragile when piping hot.

When baking these sweet potato fritters, the most important thing is to compress the mixture well. I squeeze the mixture in the palm of my hand first so that it sticks to itself well and then push into a shape by using a 5 cm (2 inch) cookie ring. I pile it up quite high 1.5 cm (0.6 inch) as they fritters tend to sink a little when baked so that each baked fritter is just over 1.25 (0.5 inch) tall once baked. Another important thing is to brush each fritter with oil and finally to be gentle when flipping as they are fragile until baked and cooled a little.

MORE ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS

SWEET POTATO: Orange sweet potato is the key ingredient in these sweet potato fritters. I recommend grating them on the coarsest setting possible for the best texture.

SALT: Salt does not only just season these sweet potato fritters but also helps to extract excess moisture. I used fine table salt here.

RICE FLOUR: Flour, as well as ground flax, helps to keep these sweet potato fritters together. I used rice flour to keep these fritters gluten-free, but plain flour will work just as well. Failing that you can use potato starch cornstarch.

SPRING ONIONS: Finley sliced spring onion (scallions) give the sweet potato mixture a subtle oniony flavour. If you don’t have spring onions, use finely sliced shallots or red onion, or some onion powder instead.

DRY SPICES: I used a mixture of cumin and smoked paprika to enhance the flavour of these sweet potato fritters, but you are welcome to adjust the spicing to your taste.

FLAX: Ground flax seeds (I used golden flax) is what helps to keep these fritters together. I rehydrate it in a small amount of water first.

BAKING POWDER: I added a bit of baking powder to help these sweet potato fritters cook in the middle.

HOW TO MAKE IT?

1) GRATE SWEET POTATOES

Grate your sweet potatoes as coarsely as possible, I use the grating attachment of my food processor. Transfer to a bowl and season with salt then set aside – the salt will draw out excess moisture.

2) SQUEEZE EXCESS LIQUID OUT

Squeeze excess moisture out and discard. You can use a muslin cloth or a clean kitchen towel or you could simply squeeze small portions of the mixture in the palm of your hand.

3) FORM A DOUGH

Stir spices, rehydrated ground flax, finely sliced spring onions, black pepper, rice flour and baking powder through the mixture. Use your hands to make sure everything is evenly distributed – especially the flax gel. The mixture should be wet enough to stick to itself but not overly wet.

4) SHAPE, BAKE OR FRY

Shape sweet potato mixture into thick patties – 5 cm / 2 inches across and about 1.5 cm / 0.6 inch thick. I use a cookie cutter to mould them – it is essential to compress them well or else they will fall apart. Fry or bake them according to your preference. Serve warm alongside a simple lime and chipotle dip.