Patates Douces Dauphine (Sweet Potato Puffs)
This is an unusual side dish, deep-fried sweet potato balls which are leavened with cream puff pastry (pate a choux). Don’t make the balls too large or they will take too long to cook through.
Ingredients
- Pate a Choux
- Water - 2 cups
- Unsalted Butter - 1 cup
- Pinch of salt
- Flour - 1-1/2 cups
- Eggs - 6 to 8, depending on size
- Pate a Choux - 1 cup (above)
- Sweet potatoes - 1/2 pound, sliced and cooked until tender; drained
- Dash of nutmeg
- Oil for frying
Instructions
To prepare the pate a choux: Boil the water with the butter and salt. Add the flour all at once and beat vigorously until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a ball. Off the heat, beat in the eggs, one or two at a time, until incorporated. The dough should be smooth.
To prepare the potatoes: Mash the hot sweet potatoes with a fork. Fold into the pate a choux mixture. Season with nutmeg.
Heat the oil to 360 F in a deep fryer or deep saucepan. Form the mixture into balls with two soup spoons. Put the potato balls in the deep fat and fry until they float to the top and are golden brown on the outside.
