These sweet potato balls are made with loads of spinach, garlic and onions and are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Great as a side dish, snack, appetizer or a main with a salad or veggies.
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cut into cubes (about 400 g)
- 1.5 cups spinach wilted, chopped (see instructions below)
- 1 large white onion finely diced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic finely diced
- 4 sprigs of thyme leaves only
- 1 teaspoon of lemon zest half of lemon
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2/3 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup tapioca starch or cassava flour (see notes)
- Oil for frying you can use coconut oil, macadamia oil, ghee or avocado oil
Instructions
- Place cubed sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan of cold water and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes, until soft when poked through with a knife. Strain the sweet potato completely and return to a bowl.
- To get 1.5 cups of wilted spinach, you can use frozen spinach and place it in really hot water to thaw out. Then, squeeze as much water out with your hands as possible so you're left with a soft, wet - but not dripping - spinach mass that you can chop. Alternatively, you can get 2 bunches of spinach and sauté them in a little water for about one minute until wilted (a.k.a wet and shrunk in size). Then, cool it down and squeeze the excess liquid before chopping.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the onion for 10 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent and golden brown.
- Add the chopped spinach, garlic, lemon zest and thyme leaves and cook for 3-4 minutes. Drizzle with lemon juice.
- Mash the cooked sweet potato with a fork or a potato masher. It's fine if it's not completely smooth. Add the spinach and onion mix, salt, pepper and tapioca or cassava flour and mix well together.
- Heat a thin layer of fat or oil in a frying pan over medium0high heat. Wet your hands slightly or use a tablespoon to roll equal amounts of potato and spinach mixture into small balls. You can also make them more oval or fritters-like.
- Gently place in a hot frying pan, leaving a little space in between balls. Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden brown crust forms, making sure to turn over gently using a fork and a spatula. I do 3-4 sides (top, bottom, left and right) so they're evenly crispy. Add more fat or oil as needed.
- Serve with a little thyme and lemon wedges and your choice of meat or fish, if you're having these as a side dish.
Notes
Tapioca or cassava flour can be replaced with arrowroot flour or buckwheat/quinoa/other gluten-free flour of choice. I wanted to keep this recipe grain-free but you can, of course, use other flours.
Nutrition
Calories: 231kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 654mg | Potassium: 517mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 17089IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @cookedandloved or tag #cookedandloved