Sweet Potato Latkes with Black Bean Caviar

Quite a fancy name for a truly simple dish. I modified a basic latke recipe substituting sweet potatoes for regular and made a simple "caviar" salad to top them off. Everything came together in less than 30 minutes, and if served with a good-sized salad, could be a main dish, but they work great as appetizers as well!

For the latkes:

• 1 large sweet potato, shredded
• 2-3 scallions, minced
• 1 tsp ground coriander seed
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp smoked paprika or chipotle powder

Using a standard cheese grater or food processor with a shredder attachment, grate the potatoes (not too finely!). Stir together with remaining ingredients (note: there is no need to squeeze the excess water out of the sweet potatoes as some latke recipes suggest as there really isn't much excess water--in fact, I had to add a Tbs. of water.) Spoon batter onto heated griddle with several Tablespoons oil and fry on both sides until golden and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.

For the caviar:

• 1 cup black beans, cooked
• 1/2 cup corn kernels
• 3 Tbs. scallion greens
• 1/4 cup diced tomato
• 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1 minced jalapeno, seeds removed
• 2 Tbs. minced cilantro
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2 Tbs. lime or orange juice
• 1/2 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients and toss well. Adjust seasonings to your taste. Spoon mixture on top of latkes and serve with plain yogurt, sour cream or queso seco.