Sweet Potato Wontons

Friday, July 25, 2008

I have no idea how this is becoming more and more of a food blog, but it is. And I don't get how I am posting for the third time today. On a workday! Granted, today was slow at work but still, you would think I was bored or something. Oh wait...

Anyway, tonight I got home and knew I had to use up things in my fridge because I'll be gone all weekend. I did my usual stare into the fridge in hopes that one day if I stare hard enough it will talk and just tell me what to use. It would be even better if the door handles would become arms and just hand me everything so that I didn't have to search. Alas, it was not to be today. However, I was able to think on my own and after discovering a sweet potato, green onions, and wonton wrappers, I came up with these little babies. They are super simple to make but take a wee bit of time to assemble. Not hard in the least, I promise. It was actually rather lovely to do an unthinking job while listening to music and unwinding from my week.

Notes on this recipe:

• I baked these because, hello, it's so much better for you. However, baking does give them a different texture so don't go into this expecting an imitation of fried wontons.
• The sweet potato I started with was rather large so it made about 18 wontons. Enough for my dinner with some leftovers too.
• These would be good as an appetizer. But really, I'll eat weird things for dinner, so this worked for me.
  
• If you want to cook a sweet potato quickly, prick it with a fork in several places and put it in the microwave on high power for approx 4-6 min, turning halfway through. Check for doneness and put in for an additional minute or so if needed. The size of the potato will determine how long it takes to cook.

Sweet Potato Wontons

1 large cooked sweet potato, skin removed, mashed
2-3 green onions, chopped
1-2 Tbsp. Ras el Hanout (see below) or curry powder
1-2 tsp. garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste
wonton wrappers

Preheat oven to 350. Cook mashed sweet potatoes together with spices and onions in a pan on medium heat until warmed through. Ras el Hanout is a Moroccan spice blend that I make myself and keep on hand in a spice jar. You could also use curry powder in it's place. I haven't ever found the Ras el Hanout premade (I'll share my recipe later), so curry would be the easier option.



Once the sweet potato mixture is heated through, it is time to assemble the wontons. Place 1 wonton wrapper on a plate or cutting board in a diamond shape (corner facing you). Place approximately 1 Tbsp. of the mixture on one side of the diamond.



Dip your finger in a bowl of water and run it along the two sides of the diamond. Bring two opposite corners together to form a triangle shape. Make sure to seal the two sides well.



Then dab a bit of water in the middle of the triangle and fold both opposite corners in, sealing as you go.



Place your finished wontons on a greased cookie sheet. When all are assembled, put them in the oven for 10-20 minutes, checking for doneness after 7 minutes and every few minutes after that. Once these start to get dark, they go quickly, so make sure to keep an eye on them.