One of the most successful vegetables we grow in the Venoge kitchen garden are sweet potatoes. They are, of course, suitable and yummy in pies but we wanted to try using them in a recipe that could be made in front of visitors. We decided to try deep fried sweet potato fritters. Not only were they easy to make but they were fantastic and have a crunchy and tasty outer crust.

Ingredients

• 1 cup mashed sweet potato
• 1 beaten egg
• 2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
• 2 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• dash of freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 – 2 cups of milk

Topping

• 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

Heat oil to about 375°F. We fill our kettle half full with oil and heat it over the hearth.

Combine mashed sweet potatoes and egg in a small bowl. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and baking powder.

Add sweet potato mixture to dry ingredients and slowly add milk. Batter may be a little lumpy, but that is okay.

Carefully drop teaspoons of batter into hot oil. The batter should sink to the bottom then quickly float to the top as it cooks.

Gently flip the fritters in the oil so that both sides cook. These will cook quickly. Since oil temperatures will vary, cut one open to see if it is done and adjust cooking time accordingly.

While still warm, roll in the sugar and cinnamon mix.

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