Spinach & Sweet Potato Balls

🧂 Ingredients

• 2 medium sweet potatoes

  peeled and cut into cubes (about 400 g)
• 1.5 cups spinach

  wilted, chopped (see instructions below)
• 1 large white onion

  finely diced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic

  finely diced
• 4 sprigs of thyme

  leaves only
• 1 teaspoon of lemon zest

  half of lemon
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2/3 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup tapioca starch

  or cassava flour (see notes)
• Oil for frying

  you can use coconut oil, macadamia oil, ghee or avocado oil

Instructions

• 1 Place cubed sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan of cold water and bring to a
  boil. Cook for 10 minutes, until soft when poked through with a knife. Strain
  the sweet potato completely and return to a bowl.
• 2 To get 1.5 cups of wilted spinach, you can use frozen spinach and place it in
  really hot water to thaw out. Then, squeeze as much water out with your hands as
  possible so you're left with a soft, wet - but not dripping - spinach mass that
  you can chop. Alternatively, you can get 2 bunches of spinach and sauté them in
  a little water for about one minute until wilted (a.k.a wet and shrunk in size).
  Then, cool it down and squeeze the excess liquid before chopping.
• 3 Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the onion for 10 minutes over
  medium-low heat, until translucent and golden brown.
• 4 Add the chopped spinach, garlic, lemon zest and thyme leaves and cook for 3-4
  minutes. Drizzle with lemon juice.
• 5 Mash the cooked sweet potato with a fork or a potato masher. It's fine if it's
  not completely smooth. Add the spinach and onion mix, salt, pepper and tapioca
  or cassava flour and mix well together.
• 6 Heat a thin layer of fat or oil in a frying pan over medium0high heat. Wet your
  hands slightly or use a tablespoon to roll equal amounts of potato and spinach
  mixture into small balls. You can also make them more oval or fritters-like.
• 7 Gently place in a hot frying pan, leaving a little space in between balls. Fry
  for 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden brown crust forms, making sure to
  turn over gently using a fork and a spatula. I do 3-4 sides (top, bottom, left
  and right) so they're evenly crispy. Add more fat or oil as needed.
• 8 Serve with a little thyme and lemon wedges and your choice of meat or fish, if
  you're having these as a side dish.

Nutrition Info