Sweet Potato Patties

I won’t call these sweet potato burgers, because the patties fall apart, and to me, that’s not a good burger – or at least, not convenient. That being said, these patties are delicious! I had two recipes that were very similar, the first from Healthy Happy Life, and the other adapted from it at Love & Lemons. I used mainly the first one, though it’s interesting to note that where it used white beans, the other recipe used tofu, so that’s a variation to keep in mind. The seasonings are also quite adaptable; both recipes take things in different directions, and I chose yet another by adding cumin and garlic powder to the mix. I’ll write out the options below. Note that I ran out of panko crumbs after the first batch, so I made the second batch with matzo meal (which, interestingly, wasn’t even kosher for Passover). I really liked the result, though I had a slight preference for panko over matzo meal. The Engineer had his burger-style, while I had mine without bread (the green sauce in the picture is my tamarind-cashew crack sauce, but regular condiments will do).

2 cans cannellini white beans, drained and rinsed (OR 4.5 to 5 oz extra-firm tofu, crumbled)
1 large sweet potato, baked/peeled/mashed (about 2 cups)
2 Tbsp tahini
2 tsp maple syrup or agave nectar
¼ cup wheat flour
salt and pepper, to taste
optional: seasonings (whatever you have on hand: for example, 1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning or Cajun seasoning; 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp minced rosemary, 1 minced clove of garlic; my variation was 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp Korean pepper, 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast, ½ tsp cumin and ¼ tsp garlic powder)
½ cup panko crumbs (or matzo meal or regular breadcrumbs, in a pinch)
safflower oil for pan
toppings: avocado, tomato, Dijon mustard, whole grain buns, romaine, onion, sprouts

Place mashed sweet potato in a bowl and add the white beans (or tofu) and mash together.

Mash in tahini, syrup, flour and any additional seasoning. Your mixture will be quite soft and moist, but you should be able to form a patty. (I found that the patties were hard to shape and fell apart very easily, but both recipes said that was to be expected. Add more flour or a scoop of breadcrumbs to thicken the mixture if needed.)

Heat 1 Tbsp safflower oil in a pan over high heat. Form a patty from mixture and coat in panko crumbs. Then drop the patty in the pan. Repeat until the pan is filled. Cook until browned on both sides. (You could also bake at 425 °F for 15-20 minutes, until the edges are browned and crisp. If baking, use less panko.)

Serve on toasted bun or open-faced (I think that’s the way to go), with lots of toppings. Or serve without a bun, with a mixed greens salad.