My love of potatoes knows no bounds. I’m especially fond of breakfast potatoes. This morning when I woke up and started rummaging around in the refrigerator for something to eat on this bright Sunday morning I was instantly drawn to last nights leftover casserole of scalloped potatoes, zucchini, red peppers and ham. “Eat me Erin! Eat me Erin,” it seemed to call from under its snug Press’n-Seal cover. I somehow managed to resist the cheesy temptation momentarily before I moved on to another, slightly more morning appropriate option. I decided to make sweetly spiced sweet potato latkes and bake them. Baking was the ultimate concession as yesterday morning I shamelessly coaxed CK into picking up a box of munchkins for us to snack on all day.

These latkes are thicker than the baked russet potato version that I made previously, and much more hash-brown like in consistency. Don’t forget to top them with your favorite condiments. I prefer sour cream, light of course — sticking with the whole donut guilt theme, but apple sauce or a fruity yogurt would also be a great addition.

Peel & Prep	Grate (the Easy Way)
Combine Potatoes & Spices	Drop by 1/3-Cupfuls
Flatten	Sweet Potato Latkes on Parade

Baked Sweet Potato Latkes (based on the recipe originally published in Women’s Health Magazine)
Makes 12 Latkes

2 pounds grated sweet potatoes
1 medium onion, grated
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray or use a silpat.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Drop by 1/3-cupfuls onto cookie sheet. Flatten with spatula.

Bake for 25 minutes; flip and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Serve with light sour cream and a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg.

I find it fascinating that as much as I hate cutting and working with raw chicken breasts, I really enjoy making meatballs. Probably because it’s the one time that I actually enjoy getting messy and I have lots of good childhood memories of making meatballs with my mom. Although, since she dislikes touching raw meat as much as I do, I’m sure she was simply grateful that I was naive enough to think that rolling out all of those little balls was fun.  Anyway, I made Rachael Ray’s Double Chicken Dumpling Soup the other day. Sorry Rachael I refuse to use the term “stoup” — although I’m sure it will end up in the dictionary eventually. Fortunately, as odd as I sometimes find Rachael’s terminology, I truly loved the flavor of the nutmeg and Parmesan spiced chicken meatballs, especially when combined with one of my absolute favorite things in the whole world - potato gnocchi.  I’m a total sucker for a hearty soup so this will definitely make an appearance on my dinner table again.

Eat the Rainbow	Get Messy!
Simmer	Meatballs First