Sweet Potato Rosti

"You must make sweet potatoes a part of your daily diet," I told my mum emphatically over Skype one day. "They are almost a wonder food," I said and started enumerating the benefits of sweet potatoes, almost feeling a little smug about telling my mum - who always seemed to be telling us what to eat - how to improve her diet. 


"Remind me," she said "to twist your ears the next time I meet you."


Oh oh....this conversation wasn't really going quite the way I had envisaged.


"Of course, you don't remember the times when I would add sweet potatoes to batatyacha kees (spicy grated potatoes) and you girls would refuse to touch it with cries of 'yuck, we don't want to have sweet potatoes.' And now, you are telling me to eat them! We eat them more regularly than you know," she informed me.


Oh well...guess my mom is always going to be a step ahead of me.



  

Well yes, there was a time when I hated sweet potaoes with a passion and for no real reason. Exactly when I started liking them, I can't recollect. Probably when I had baked sweet potato wedges, I think, at a friend's place. Then, it was the taste that drew me to the tubers.


But, as I became more aware of how nutrient packed sweet potatoes are, I slowly started cooking with them more and more often. Initially, I used them alongwith potatoes, primarily in spicy curries and baked wedges or like my mom used to, in  batatycha kees (spicy grated potatoes). 


Over a period of time, sweet potatoes have almost nudged the beloved potato out of my pantry.

Rosti, traditionally made with potatoes, is something I now make exclusively with sweet potatoes. The sweet potato rosti has a very delicate, almost melt in your mouth texture and is much quicker to cook than the rosti made with potatoes.

Sweet Potato Rosti



Ingredients:


Grated sweet potatoes: 1 - 1/4 cup
Garlic: 1 small clove, very finely minced
Onion: 1/2, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
Oil: 1 -1/2 tbsp
Lemon wedge, optional



Method:


Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a 6" pan (I sometimes divide the potatoes into 2 and cook 2 rostis in a smaller pan, as in the photos). Add the minced garlic and the chopped onions and fry for a minute. Add the grated sweet potatoes, sprinkle the salt and pepper and toss well till they are coated with oil.


With the help of a spatula, distribute the potatoes evenly all over the pan and gently press them to get a pancake about 1/2" thick. Drizzle a few drops of oil around the edges and on a medium heat, cook the potatoes till the bottom is golden brown and crispy, about 8-10 minutes.


Shake the pan to loosen the rosti from the edges, flip it** and cook the other side till golden brown and crisp.


(** to flip the rosti, you will need a plate that fits snugly into the pan you are cooking the rosti in. Cover the rosti with the plate and invert the pan, the cooked side of the rosti will be on top. Then with the help of the spatula, gently slide the rosti, uncooked side down, into the pan. Don't fret too much if the rosti breaks - mine does very often, because of the delicate texture of the sweet potatoes - just assemble it back into a pancake).


Slide the cooked rosti on a plate, squeeze some lemon juice and sprinkle some cracked pepper on it; serve with some fried eggs and fruit on the side for a wholesome breakfast.