Sweet Potato Fritters With Apples: Thanksgiving Begins

For the first time in years, I’m not making Thanksgiving dinner for my family. Instead, we’re heading off to Ohio, the homeland of HOTUS (formerly Husband-Elect), for a holiday with his extended brood. This is simultaneously super exciting and somewhat disorienting.

Here’s why: I’m fairly laid-back in general, but on Turkey Day (and I freely admit this), I’m a Type A, micromanaging battleaxe. There are week-long searches for appropriate recipes. There are minute-by-minute schedules. There are dozens of papers taped to the kitchen cabinets. I barely tolerate myself on Thanksgiving, so I’m not sure how my parents have held up.

And this year, I’ll have no control whatsoever. Ack.

Instead, Imma take it out on CHG. Ha! Prepare yourself, sweet readers, for an onslaught of Thanksgivingy blogginess like you’ve never seen before. There will be appetizers. There will be side dishes. There will be main dishes. There will probably be an unrelated recipe, because not everything works like we plan sometimes. MUAHAHAHAHAHA!

Today’s recipe, Sweet Potato Fritters with Apples, is an inexpensive, fairly nutritional dish suitable for either Thanksgiving breakfast or a dinner side. Crunchy on the outside and softer on the inside, they're sweet without being cloying. HOTUS loved them for dinner last night, which is good, because he’s getting them for lunch again today.

If you should make them yourself, know two things:

1) The calculations in the source material felt a little off, so I did my own numbers using Calorie King. And – yoinks - they were significantly different. Mine are the ones posted, though, because that’s how we roll

2) Any decent cooking apple should work here. I used MacIntosh, because they’re good all-around varieties, but y’know, go crazy.

And so it begins. Readers, do you have a solid Turkey Day recipe for us? Do tell. We’d love to give it a shot.

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If you like the looks of this, later, yer gonna wanna avert your gaze to:

• Popovers
• Sweet Crespelles
• Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

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Sweet Potato Fritters With Apples
Makes 16 fritters.
Adapted from The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating on a Budget.

1 cup cooked sweet potato, mashed
1 apple, peeled, cored, and diced small (I used a MacIntosh - Kris)
1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese (I used 1% Friendship – Kris)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
Honey, maple syrup, or powdered sugar for serving

NOTE: If you don’t have any cooked, mashed sweet potato hanging around, buy a large spud, scrub the outside, prick it a few times with a fork, and cook for 50 or 60 minutes at 375°F. Remove from oven, let it cool, peel, scoop, and mash.

1) In a mixing bowl, stir together sweet potato, apple, cottage cheese, flour, sugar, egg, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Divide the dough in half.

2) In a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Divide half the dough into eight rounded tablespoons. Drop each tablespoon into skillet, taking care not to crowd. Flatten dough balls with spoon, until about 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick. Cook 3 to 5 minutes on each side, until browned. Remove to a paper towel-covered plate.

3) Repeat Step #2 with the remaining half of butter and dough.

4) Serve warm with honey, maple syrup, or powdered sugar.

Approximate Calories, Fat, Fiber, Protein, and Price Per Serving
67 calories, 1.8 g fat, 0.7 g fiber, 2 g protein, $0.13

Calculations
1 cup cooked sweet potato, mashed: 180 calories, 0.4 g fat, 6.6 g fiber, 4 g protein, $0.43
1 apple, peeled, cored, and diced small: 61 calories, 0.1 g fat, 1.7 g fiber, 0.3 g protein. $0.28
1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese (1% Friendship): 90 calories, 1 g fat, 0 g fiber, 16 g protein, $0.75
1/2 cup all-purpose flour: 228 calories, 0.6 g fat, 1.7 g fiber, 6.5 g protein, $0.05
1/4 cup sugar: 194 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g fiber, 0 g protein, $0.06
1 large egg: 54 calories, 3.7 g fat, 0 g fiber, 4.7 g protein, $0.33
1 teaspoon cinnamon: 6 calories, 0.1 g fat, 1.2 g fiber, 0.1 g protein, $0.04
1 teaspoon baking powder: 2 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g fiber, 0 g protein, $0.02
1/4 teaspoon salt: negligible calories, fat, fiber, and protein, $0.01
2 tablespoons butter: 204 calories, 23 g fat, 0 g fiber, 0.2 g protein, $0.12
TOTAL: 1019 calories, 28.9 g fat, 11.2 g fiber, 31.8 g protein, $2.09
PER SERVING (TOTAL/16): 67 calories, 1.8 g fat, 0.7 g fiber, 2 g protein, $0.13