Recipe: Mexican Sweet Potato Bun

As I’m working today, I’m dreaming of what’s for dinner (as usual). Monday’s are a little crazy schedule wise, but once I get a food idea, I usually have to bring it to fruition asap or it’s all I can think about.  So, after a long day I ran to the grocery store for ingredients.  Thankfully I have a wonderfully helpful hubby who offered to be my ‘sous chef’ and he had onion and garlic chopped and ready for me.

*Disclaimer: all photos were taken with my phone.  This was an impromptu meal but it was too good not to share!

I decided to break out my sprializer for this recipe.  You can find one on Amazon for around $25-$35.  It’s basically a tool that turns your veggies into long strands.  Great for making “pastas” and just fun veggies.  If you don’t have one, or don’t have an interest, feel free to just shred the sweet potato with a grater or the grate blade on your food processor.

So, this recipe is really easy, but the most time consuming part will be peeling and spiraling or shredding the potatoes.  It’s a great prepare ahead kind of meal.  Get the potatoes shred and they can be stored in the fridge a day or so.

Use 1 sweet potato per person and 1 egg per sweet potato.  This recipe is based on 6 servings.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 medium sweet potatoes
• 6 eggs
• half chopped sweet onion
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• coconut oil
• 1 T cumin
• 1 T chili powder
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• 1/4 c. water

Peel and spiralize the sweet potatoes. Sauté the garlic and onion in a little coconut oil. Add the sweet potato and sauté.  Add the water and cover with lid to steam.  Depending on the amount of potatoes, this step should take between 5-15 minutes.

Set potato mixture aside to cool for a few minutes.

Mix the eggs in large bowl, add the potatoes and mix well, coating the potatoes well with egg mixure.  The key step to forming good buns or patties: press potato mixture into ramekins or tartlet pans or large cupcake pans.  Just use a size that you want the buns to be and not too thick so they can cook through.  Press mixture firmly into forms (I used mini tart pans in two different sizes).  Then refrigerate.  This will give you time to slice up your toppings, clean the kitchen, set the table and pour a glass of wine.

To cook the buns in a nice form you really do want to let them refrigerate for a good 20 minutes or more.  Mine sat in the fridge for my sons lacrosse game, so probably 90 minutes or so.

Heat some coconut oil (or grape seed oil) in your large sauté pan and gently tap the buns out of their forms into pan.  Fry on each side about 5 minutes or until golden brown.  You don’t want to mess with them once you get them in the pan, just tap and let sit until you’re ready to flip.  This keeps them together and gives each side a nice crisp.

Top with sliced avocado, tomatoes and salsa.  Or use two buns, stuff with ingredients and eat like a sammy.  Enjoy!