Rum raisin sweet potato croquettes with a coconut coating

You might find this unbelievable. But I often restrain from cooking some of the recipes I share here. Take my aunt’s pain patate recipe from a little over two years ago as an example. She taught me how to prepare it. I also made sure to transcribe every single step that day. Yet, I never attempted to prepare it alone.

And simply because, just like my grandmother’s bonbon sirop, I believe the cook makes the dish.

I can’t shake off the fact that my aunt never uses proportions when prepping that dessert. I have yet to quiet the voice that keeps whispering that no matter how hard I try, my pain patate won’t come out quite like hers.

That said, this year, I couldn’t help but feel the urge to reinvent her recipe.

I knew I didn’t want to replicate it verbatim. So, I chose to adapt the recipe, the same one I shared with you, and prepare pain patate…croquettes.

The concept? Balls of fried mashed sweet potatoes seasoned with coconut milk and sweet spices and coated with grated coconut. All served with a rum raisin sauce, for those who swear pain patate must absolutely have raisins. So, today I am serving you pain patate without the pain patate.

Our menu of sweets features coconut and raisins sweet potato croquettes.Rum Raisin Sweet Potato Croquettes with a Coconut Crust | tchakayiti.com

Texture wise, our traditional pain patate and these sweet potato croquettes differ from each other. The croquettes boast a crispy outer layer of fried grated coconut that hides a soft sweet potato puree. Eaten hot, that fried puree has a melt in your mouth feeling and releases its flavors progressively bite after bite.

To prepare these sweet potato croquettes, you have to:

  1. Roast your sweet potatoes in the oven:

    I prefer this cooking method because it allows the sweet potatoes to release their sugar which accentuates the sweetness

  2. Mash them into a puree:

    Using a fork, mash your cooked sweet potatoes and dress them with coconut milk, sweet spices and a dash of pepper.

  3. Shape your puree into balls

    Take the puree by the spoonful and roll it into balls. Freeze for a few hours before moving to the next step. This process helps them hold better in the sizzling hot oil.

  4. Coat these croquettes with grated coconut

    Think of the grated coconut as your breadcrumbs substitute. To make it stick, dip the frozen croquettes in an eggy mixture, repeating the process twice.

  5. Fry your croquettes in hot oil

  6. Serve them with a rum and raisin sauce

    You can either garnish your croquettes with that sauce or serve it in individual bowls for dipping

Rum Raisin Sweet Potato Croquettes with a Coconut Crust | tchakayiti.com

Rum Raisin Sweet Potato Croquettes with a Coconut Crust | tchakayiti.com

Rum raisin sweet potato croquettes with a coconut crust

This recipe follows the base recipe for the traditional Haitian Pain Patate (sweet potato pudding). However, it does omit the milk and water, which would make it too runny to hold. I also skipped the banana, but you could try and play around with the recipe and add it to the mix.
Cook Time 1 hour
Resting time 2 hours

Ingredients
  

For the sweet potato croquettes

  • 2.5 Lbs Sweet potatoes
  • 1 Tsp Cinnamon
  • 1/2 Tsp Nutmeg + ¼ tsp for the eggy mixture
  • 1/4 Tsp Salt
  • 1/4 Tsp Pepper
  • 2 Tsp Vanilla
  • 1/2 Cup Sugar
  • 14 Oz Coconut milk
  • 1/2 Stick Butter
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 splash of cream
  • 2 cups of grated coconut
  • Oil for frying

For the rum raisin sauce

  • ½ cup water
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup raisins
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • ½ tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • Splash of dark Haitian rum

Instructions
 

For the sweet potato croquettes

  • Wash the sweet potatoes and poke them with a fork
  • Wrap them in foil, and oven roast them for 45 minutes to an hour or until fork tender
  • Mash the sweet potatoes to a puree mixing in all the ingredients as you go
  • Shape the puree into balls
  • Freeze for at least one hour
  • Take the frozen croquettes out of the freezer
  • In a bowl, whip the egg with a splash of cream and ¼ tsp of nutmeg
  • In another bowl, add the grated coconut
  • Dip each croquette in the eggy mixture and roll in the coconut
  • Repeat the process twice
  • Put the coated croquette mixture in the freezer for another 45 minutes
  • Heat some oil in a frying pan until sizzling hot
  • Drop the croquettes in the hot oil until golden on all sides
  • Remove from the oil and place on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil
  • Serve warm with the rum raisin sauce

For the rum raisin sauce

  • In a saucepan, combine the brown sugar and the water
  • Simmer until the sugar dissolves completely and turns an amber color
  • Mix in the raisins, butter, apple cider and salt
  • Simmer on medium until the raisins plump up
  • In a bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in 1 tbsp of dark rum
  • Add that mixture to the raisins and let thicken for about 3 minutes
  • Finish with a splash of rum to taste
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