Greasing the wheel

Despite the typical Thanksgiving excesses, I couldn't let Chanukah pass without some sort of culinary salute. Plus, I feel guilty that I'm about to go to Boston and Philly for 10 days straight, leaving poor Andy to fend for himself. Maybe if I distract him with enough fried food, he won't notice I'm gone.

These are sweet potato spinach latkes. Unfortunately, they ended up somewhat oil-logged thanks to the fact that my favorite kitchen utensil ever*, my slotted metal spatula, has gone missing. But you can't beat a great taste and some quality BCBs**.

The batter.

That's a nice, tangy cheese on top, although if I had sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, that would have been even better. Applesauce... not so much. The sweet potatoes were, well, plenty sweet.

If you need me for the next five hours, I'll be in the gym.

Sweet potato spinach latkes
2 lb sweet potatoes
3 sm onions
1 lb frozen spinach, defrosted
1/2 c flour or semolina or matzo meal
3 eggs
1.5 tsp baking soda
paprika, pepper, salt, cayenne to taste

Grate the potatoes and onions into a very large bowl or pot. Salt the potato mixture, let sit for 10-15 minutes, and then squeeze as much moisture as possible out of it. Defrost and demoisture the spinach as well; no need to salt it. Mix all ingredients together thoroughly. In the meantime, in a deep cast-iron or regular skillet, heat about 1.5 inches of oil until it shimmers and spits furiously when you dribble in some cold water. Form the batter into patties and fry until deep brown on both sides. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate and eat warm with sour cream or Greek yogurt. Some chives might be nice, too.

*Absence could be making the heart grow fonder.
**Burnt crunchy bits, term courtesy of Terry Pratchett.