Sweet Potato Cakes with Corn Salsa & Garlic Crema

These sweet potato cakes strike a wonderful balance of flavors and textures. Crisp around the edges and tender in the center, they’re topped with a vibrant black bean and corn salsa and finished with a creamy garlic-lime sauce. They make a beautiful appetizer for entertaining, but they’re just as satisfying served as a light lunch or vegetarian meal.

For a heartier version, the turkey bacon adds a smoky, savory note to the salsa, but it’s just as delicious without it.

Sweet Potato Cakes

Ingredients

2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
2 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 pinch ground cumin
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
Salt, to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, cumin, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt.

In a large bowl, combine the mashed sweet potatoes, eggs, melted butter, and green onion. Stir until well blended. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Drop portions of the batter onto the prepared baking sheet, about the size of a lemon in diameter. Gently flatten each mound with a spatula.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until lightly golden and set.

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Ingredients

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup corn kernels, thawed
5 strips turkey bacon, cooked and diced (optional)
¼ cup finely diced red onion
1 tomato, diced
1 green onion, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
3 garlic cloves, grated
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
⅛ teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the black beans, corn, tomato, red onion, garlic, and green onion.

Cook the turkey bacon until crisp, then dice and stir it into the salsa, if using.

Add the lime juice, olive oil, cumin, salt, and black pepper. Toss gently until everything is evenly coated. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Garlic-Lime Sauce

Ingredients

2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons light sour cream
1 garlic clove, grated
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
Salt, to taste

Directions

Whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic, lime juice, and salt until smooth and creamy.

To Assemble

Arrange the sweet potato cakes on a serving platter. Top each cake with a spoonful of the garlic-lime sauce, followed by a generous scoop of the black bean and corn salsa. Garnish with additional sliced green onions and serve immediately.