Sweet potato, kale and quinoa fritters

I love fritters but they often feel like indulgent party food and not something I’d consider as a healthy everyday food. These sweet potato, kale and quinoa fritters are different though. Maybe it’s their superfood components or the ‘eat the rainbow’ orange and green kale combination but they just feel good for you and you really can’t argue against the wholesome, holy trinity goodness of sweet potato, kale and quinoa.

You could add some haloumi or feta to these fritters but I prefer to keep them simple and serve them with a yoghurt sauce. Their garlicky tang of tzatzki makes a really great contrast to their mild flavour. You can serve them with a crunchy ’slaw or something like this cucumber, mirin and sesame salad as a side but, if you want to keep things super simple, they have enough greenery and protein in them to feel like a satisfying meal on their own. These fritters are quite delicate to cook: they tend to burn easily, so keep a close eye on them and don’t have the heat too high.  Cooked just right, the natural sweetness of the sweet potato caramelises to a golden, crunchy exterior with a creamy, tender inside.

Sweet potato, quinoa and kale fritters

From Yes, More Please!

• 3 cups of mashed sweet potato (about three large sweet potatoes). I bake the sweet potatoes in their jackets and mash them but you can just boil them and drain them well before mashing them.
• 2 cups of quinoa (1 cup of uncooked quinoa makes about 2¼ cups)
• ½ a cup of breadcrumbs (I use panko crumbs)
• 2 cups of de-stemmed and finely shredded kale
• 2 teaspoons of finely grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon of smokey paprika
• salt and freshly grated pepper, to taste
• 3 teaspoons cornflour
• Freshly ground pepper
• Salt
• 2 large eggs
• Oil for pan frying – coconut oil, olive oil or any vegetable oil.

1. Combine sweet potato, quinoa, kale, bread crumbs, ginger, paprika, cornflour, eggs and mix until well combined – season with pepper and salt to taste.
2. Heat cast iron or non-stick pan and coat with oil. Using a small ice cream scoop, place scoops of fritter mix onto pan and flatten into patties. Fry for about 4 minutes until golden brown, flip and cook until golden brown on other side. Drain on a wire rack (so the fritters don’t get soggy). Eat warm or at room temperature.
3. Serve with tzatziki or any yoghurt sauce.