Wow! This post was from May 22, 2015 and has just been updated with brand new photos! We love sweet potato gems, they are a favourite and we think you need to try them. (Out of the mouth of Miss 7). These are dairy and egg free, so the perfect side for allergy kids. Swap out the plain flour for rice flour...and they can be gluten free too.
Sweet potato gems, tater tots whatever you want to call them are not good for you. They are a processed convenience food sold in the freezer aisle of a supermarket. They taste very good though. Very, very good- I know because I remember them quite well from my childhood. So what if I told you that you could make them at home with no numbers, no icky oils used and no strange ingredients? What if I then went one step further and we made them with sweet potato rather than potatoes so as to make them even tastier? Sweet potato gems. They are real.
So, doing research for the making of potato gems I came across this recipe. I decided to make them using sweet potato and some of the herbs and spices that I know work well with sweet potato. I've followed pretty much the method from the recipe I've linked to, but adapted it to work with sweet potato. The reason I loved this recipe so much was because it actually just uses a grater! Even though I got a potato ricer for my birthday last month, I know that many of my readers would switch off at the words potato ricer.
If you're looking for a way to replace these types of convenience foods, then I've got you sorted! Let me know by leaving a comment below if there is another convenience food I can help you to replace with a real food alternative. Make sure you check out our other sweet potato recipes like this amazing sweet potato and zucchini strata bake and these sweet potato and choc chip muffins!
These were very popular with all Kidgredients tonight, including a tired and cranky Master 2 who didn't really feel like eating!
Sweet Potato Gems
Ingredients
- 1 kg sweet potato peeled and chopped into large chunks
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground sage
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon flour I used plain but you could use rice flour if you want them gluten free
- olive oil
Instructions
- Put the chunks of sweet potato in a large saucepan and cover with cold water.
- Bring to the boil then cook for 8 minutes.
- Drain the sweet potatoes and rinse in cold water until cool.
- Grate the sweet potatoes using a cheese grater.
- Gather the grated sweet potato in a clean tea towel and squeeze out excess moisture.
- Add the sweet potato, flour, sage, cinnamon and nutmeg to a large bowl and mix well.
- Shape 1.5 teaspoon mounds into little logs.
- Heat oil over high heat in a frypan.
- Fry the logs in batches until golden on all sides- 4-5 minutes per log.
- Drain on paper towel.
- COOK: preheat oven to 220 degrees and bake for 10 minutes or until crunchy.
- FREEZE: freeze after frying and reheat in a 220 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.
Sara says
Thanks for your recipe. I was looking for a way to use up some leftover sweet potato mash, plus some roasted vegetables and I decided to modify your recipe. I mashed up the cold caramelised onion, roasted celery, roasted carrots and steamed cauliflower and mixed it in with the mashed sweet potato. Then I added some flour and followed your directions. They were a bit hit with our kids, despite that they've never actually eaten tater tots before (they aren't sold here in Australia).
Kylie says
Hi Sara, potato gems are tater tots- same thing! We call them gems- they are in woolies and coles. I popped the american name in too so they knew what they are! What you did sounds delish! You should try these medallions too: https://kidgredients.com.au/sweet-potato-broccoli-medallions/
Fiona says
I love sweet potato I am going to try this
Mel says
These look good.
I never liked the potato gems from the supermarket, they taste like soap to me.
Kylie says
Lol. Yes they do!
beth says
This looks yummy!!! 🙂
Thanks so much for linking up with #justanotherlinky Hope too see you again Sunday!
Kirsten Toyne says
This looks great. I love doing this at home that taste better than the processed stuff.
Kylie says
Everything homemade tastes better!
Kirsten Toyne says
So true. the only thing I cant get to taste as nice is Quiche. Mine is always a bit plain (not that I have spent a lot of time perfecting it)
Kylie says
Mr Kidgredients won't eat quiche, but I've got a cracker recipe I can put up in a few weeks! 🙂 let's solve your quiche problems!
playwithfoodaustralia says
Awesome! I found you through the link up party - the ultimate rabbit hole - am looking forward to looking around your blog. I blog about family eating as it related to my core business of providing healthy eating classes to children. I mostly work with fussy eaters in Sydney. I will try these sweet potato gems with the rice flour - sounds great!
Kylie says
Enjoy! I'm going to check you out! 🙂
Sara | Kid Magazine says
These look amazing! I love potato gems, well anything potato really. I'll have to try these to go with dinner one night this week.
Kylie says
Come back and let me know how they go! 🙂
Lauren says
These look delicious! I love sweet potato 🙂
Kylie says
So do I! A major favourite around here.
Shannon@ my2morrows says
Yum! Sweet potato AND cinnamon! A winner right there! Must give these a go! Thanks for linking up once again to the Ultimate Rabbit Hole! X
Kylie says
Thanks for having me! We love sweet potato and cinnamon!
Jess says
Look amazing, can't wait to try them! Loved potato gems at school.
Kylie says
So did I! I love trying new ways to make retro faves!
Joy @themamaminute says
Yuuuuum... I have been trying to work out how to get sweet potatoes crunchy for ages! Will definitely have to try these 🙂
Kylie says
Let me know how they turn out! 🙂
Amy @ HandbagMafia says
I wonder if I could blitz the sweet potato in my thermomix then give it a steam...
Kylie says
I think steam first....then blitz?
Jody at Six Little Hearts says
Oh they sound divine! I have got to try these. Great blog by the way!
Kylie says
Thanks Jody! Please do try them and let me know how they go. 🙂
Rachel Stewart says
I'd never thought of making them myself. I'd probably make two batches. One with plain potato and no spice for my fussy big boy (and still be hit and miss whether or not he eats it, but it's worth a try lol) and one with sweet potato. Sounds good. 🙂
Kylie says
The spice is barely noticeable...just makes them extra sweet. 🙂
Gael - The Vinyl Edition says
I think I might need to try these, Kylie. I have a stack of sweet potatoes as they are really cheap at the moment. And also thanks for the freezing and reheating instructions too.
Kylie says
I've been wanting to make something similar for a while and I'm so glad I did! Let me know how you go 🙂
Gael - The Vinyl Edition says
Just reporting back...I made these last night (as one of the vegetable components to go with our roast, because I couldn't wait any longer to make them) and I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't pay close enough attention when the sweet potatoes were cooking and I over-cooked them. I still followed the whole recipe through, but because of my stupid mistake they were more like croquettes than gems.
On the plus side, everyone liked the flavour, my husband took the leftovers to graze on at work tonight, and I'm looking forward to trying again without over-cooking the sweet potato.
Kylie says
It's normally me that does stuff like that! Glad the flavour worked!