Baked Sweet Potato Latkes with Spicy Black Bean Sauce

This recipe, like some of my others, was kind of an experiment!  I knew that I liked the flavor combination of sweet potatoes and black beans, plus my aunt had just told me about some sweet potato latkes that she ate recently.  So I looked up a simple latke recipe and added different seasonings that I thought would complement sweet potatoes.  Since I try to keep my recipes healthy, I chose to bake these instead of frying them.  (I can only imagine how phenomenal these latkes would be, if fried!)  The latkes are really good on their own, but if you want some complexity, try the black bean sauce and maybe some sour cream!

Ingredients for the latkes:

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, grated
• 2 scallions, minced
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• cooking spray

Ingredients for the black bean sauce:

• 3/4 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup broth (vegetable or chicken)
• 1 scallion, sliced
• 1/2 bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 chipotle pepper (canned in adobo sauce)
• 1 clove minced garlic

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Start by grating the potatoes (either by hand or with a food processor grating attachment).  In a colander, mix the grated potato with the 1 tsp of salt.  Let sit in the sink for a few minutes, then press out as much moisture as possible (I put a piece of plastic wrap over the potato and pressed down with a large spoon).  In a medium bowl, beat together the remaining latke ingredients, then stir in the potato.  Spray a foil-lined cookie sheet generously with cooking spray.  Using a spoon, take a small dollop of the mixture and press into a thin patty on the cookie sheet.  Repeat until the mixture is gone (expect to make about 15 latkes), using another greased cookie sheet if necessary.  Spray the latkes with more cooking spray.  Bake for 9 minutes, then flip the latkes over, baking another 5 - 7 minutes until golden brown.  

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat; add the bell pepper and sprinkle with salt and pepper cook 5 - 7 minutes when it is tender and starting to brown.  Add the garlic and scallion, stir for 30 seconds, and then remove from heat.  In a food processor, process the beans, broth, bell pepper mixture, chipotle, and cumin. Return it to the skillet and warm over medium heat.  If you want a thinner sauce, add more broth.  After the black bean sauce is warmed, serve a dollop on top of the latkes, garnishing with scallion and/or sour cream.  Enjoy!