Confetti Latkes (Sweet Potato and Carrot Pancakes)

Sometimes I don’t have the ingredients for something I really want to make, so I improvise. Last weekend was one of those times.

I only had two sweet potatoes, one yellow and one orange. This is not enough to feed my kids, who inhale sweet potatoes by the pound–they easily eat two medium sweet potatoes each depending on how I cook them. If B and I wanted to have any, I would need to either figure out a way to stretch those two taters into something that would feed us all, or I’d have to make something else. But I didn’t really have anything else.

In the end, I decided to peel and shred the two sweet potatoes and then add in some carrots to make latkes (read here for a more traditional latkes recipe). Since I had two different colors of carrots (and since the girls don’t really like the yellow ones), I shredded both types and mixed them all together with some chopped onions, sea salt, pepper, and eggs.

Before cooking–doesn’t that look pretty?

The result of my last-minute improvisation was a beautiful confetti-like mixture that, once fried, was a great side dish that everyone enjoyed. We even had some leftovers, which I ate for breakfast and the kids had for lunch. Yum!

This recipe is 21DSD-friendly for those doing the athlete/pregnant/breastfeeding modifications.

Confetti Latkes (a.k.a. Sweet Potato and Carrot Pancakes)

• 2 medium-sized sweet potatoes/yams of any color, peeled and shredded/grated
• 2 large or 4 small-medium carrots of any color, washed and shredded/grated
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced small
• 3 pastured duck eggs (or 4-5 pastured chicken eggs), lightly beaten
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper, or to taste
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt, or to taste
• pastured lard or another cooking fat (coconut oil, tallow, ghee, etc.)

To Cook: 

1. Wash, peel, and shred/grate the sweet potatoes and carrots into a medium-sized bowl. Add the chopped onion and mix well.
2. Add the beaten eggs to the sweet potato mixture and stir well. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper and mix well.
3. In a large skillet (I used a nonstick, but a large cast iron would work well, too), melt enough lard to cover the bottom of the pan about 1/4 inch deep. When the cooking fat is hot, carefully drop a heaping tablespoon of the sweet potato mixture into the pan and flatten slightly to make a pancake. You should be able to fit 4-5 pancakes in the skillet at a time.
4. Let the pancakes cook until they are golden brown on the bottom (gently lift one with a turner to see if it is done enough). Flip over and cook the other side until golden brown.
   

   Golden brown!

5. Taste one of the pancakes to make sure it is seasoned to your liking. Adjust if necessary, then cook in batches, making sure to add more cooking fat if the pan gets too dry.
6. Place the cooked latkes on a paper towel-lined plate to cool and drain. Serve plain or with some unsweetened organic applesauce or sour cream. Enjoy!  
   

   Confetti Latkes served with a grass-fed ribeye and Crispy Coconut Kale.

    

This post is linked to Tasty Traditions, Real Food Wednesday, and The Paleo Rodeo.