Quick Bites: Sweet Potato and Roasted Corn Cakes with Chipotle Lime Crema

Welcome to another new series... quick bites, a series for all of my favorite entertaining and party foods.  These sweet potato and roasted corn cakes with chipotle lime crema are a great filling vegetarian option to have available at parties.  The chipotle lime crema also gives them just enough of a kick to balance with the sweetness of the potatoes.  See after the jump for more...

Ingredients:

• 6 lbs sweet potatoes, cleaned and dried
• olive oil
• bunch of scallions, diced
• 1 bag frozen roasted corn from Trader Joe's
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon chipotle pepper
• salt and pepper
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 2 cups breadcrumbs (this amount depends on how watery the potatoes are)
• vegetable oil for frying
• 2 cups Greek yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
• 2 limes zested, and 1 of those juiced

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Rub the sweet potatoes with olive oil and place on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle with salt and place in oven for approximately 45 minutes or until a fork can easily pierce through.
2. Remove from oven.  When cool, cut in half and scrape out the insides of the sweet potatoes into a large bowl.
3. Mix the scallions, corn, garlic, cumin, maple syrup, and chipotle pepper into the sweet potato mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
4. Add in the eggs and yellow cornmeal.  Mix together well.  Add in the breadcrumbs as needed to bring the mixture together. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
5. If making ahead of time, using a tablespoon, scoop out one spoonful of mixture and roll into a ball and then flatten into a cake shape.  **These can be stored in Tupperware with layers of foil between or you can pre-sear and then reheat in the oven.
6. In a large skillet on medium heat, sear the sweet potato cakes in vegetable oil on both sides for approximately 3 minutes per side.
7. For the chipotle lime crema mix the Greek yogurt, chipotle powder, lime zest, and lime juice together.
8. Garnish with cilantro optional. 

What are your favorite party bites?