Sweet Potato Tots with Cilantro-Lime Sauce

By davidv

I don't know about you, but I never outgrew my love of tater tots. I've always wondered what a sweet tot would taste like, so we made them from scratch and added an amazing dipping sauce!

Tip: These tots are also delicious—and a bit healthier—when baked. Put them on an unlined baking sheet in a 350°F preheated oven for about 10–12 minutes.

Ingredients

• Sauce:
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, rough chopped
• 1/2 of a jalapeño pepper, stemmed, seeded, and minced
• 1 scallion, minced
• 1 Tbsp lime juice
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 3-1/2 tsp salt, divided
• 3/4 tsp black pepper, divided
• Tots:
• 2 medium-size sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in large pieces
• 1/4 cup flour, plus additional for rolling
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
• 2 egg whites, beaten
• Oil, for frying

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from qvc.co

Preparation

Step 1

Combine the sour cream, cilantro, jalapeño, scallion, lime juice, sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Place the sweet potatoes in a medium-size saucepan. Cover with cool water and add 2 tsp salt. Bring the potatoes up to a boil over medium heat.
Pierce the potatoes with a fork every 5–10 minutes until they feel slightly undercooked. Then, drain the water and let the potatoes cool in the pot.

Meanwhile, combine the flour, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, cornstarch, and the chili powder in a large bowl and set aside.

When the sweet potatoes have cooled, mash 1 piece of sweet potato and set it aside. Finely dice the rest of the potatoes. Carefully fold the mashed and diced sweet potatoes into the flour. The mixture should form a dough-like consistency when blended.

Cut the sweet potato dough in half. On a floured surface, roll out 1 half of the dough into a 13–14" log that's about an inch in diameter. Repeat with remaining dough. Slice each log into small 1" x 1" logs.

Preheat a deep fryer to 375°F.

Place the egg whites and breadcrumbs in two small shallow dishes. Roll each tater tot in the egg whites and then dredge in the breadcrumbs. Place the tots on baking sheets that have been lined with a couple layers of paper towels.

Fry the tater tots in batches of 6 until they're a deep golden brown, about 2 minutes. Serve with the dipping sauce.