Sweet Potato Corn Cakes & Garlic Dipping Sauce

We had a lot of leftover sweet potatoes from Thanksgiving that were on their way to going bad and needed to be used fast.
This recipe was different, pretty easy, relatively healthy, and very delicious.
The cakes were also more filling than I expected them to be.

yield: ~20 cakes

ingredients
for sweet potato corn cakes
3 lbs sweet potatoes
1 C frozen corn kernels
2 green onions, diced
1 handful cilantro, roughly chopped
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1 large egg
1/3 C yellow cornmeal
1 C panko breadcrumbs
1/2 C vegetable oil (for frying)

for garlic dipping sauce
1 C plain Greek yogurt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 handful cilantro, roughly chopped

directions

1. for sweet potato corn cakes: Prick the skin of each sweet potato with a fork, wrap each potato in a paper towel, and microwave one at a time on high for 5 minutes.
2. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them open and scoop the insides into a large bowl.
3. Add green onions, cilantro, corn, salt, cumin, and cayenne pepper to the bowl with the sweet potatoes; stir until well combined.
4. Add the breadcrumbs, cornmeal, and egg tot he bowl; stir until evenly combined.
5. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the breadcrumbs to absorb moisture.
6. for garlic dipping sauce: In a small bowl, stir the yogurt, garlic, and cilantro together until well combined; refrigerate until ready to serve.
7. for sweet potato corn cakes: Add vegetable oil to medium skillet over medium-high heat.
8. Heat oil until the surface becomes wavy (but pull off the heat if the oil starts to smoke).
9. Shape the sweet potato mixture into small patties (about 3 tbs each) and cook 4 at a time in the oil.
10. Cook ~2 minutes each side, until cakes are golden brown.
11. After cooking, place cakes on a paper towel covered plate to drain excess oil.
12. Add more oil to the skillet as needed.
13. Serve warm with garlic dipping sauce.
14. Enjoy!