Serves 4
1 ½ cups cooked wild rice
To cook wild rice, bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil, add ¾ cup wild rice, reduce heat to a high simmer, and cook until the rice is tender and has split open, about 50 minutes.
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 pat butter
2 eggs
½ cup flour
1 large sweet potato, partially baked (350 for 20 minutes) or microwaved for 4 minutes, then grated
1 cup spinach
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup toasted pecans
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp cayenne pepper
Vegetable oil for frying
Optional: 1 cup cooked turkey, diced small. If you add the turkey, also add a ½ tsp ground sage.
In a sauté pan, cook the mushrooms in the butter over medium-high heat until they just start to get golden, about 5 minutes. Add the green onions and the spinach and cook for 2 more minutes, until the spinach is wilted. Remove from heat.
In a bowl, combine the sweet potato, wild rice, mushrooms, green onions, spinach, cranberries, pecans, and seasonings, tossing well to incorporate everything. Add the flour and toss well. Break the eggs into the middle and scramble them with a fork and then mix everything together well. You can add a little more flour if you feel that it needs more for better binding; it kind of depends on the moistness of your ingredients. Your patties will be loose but should hold together when cooking.
Heat a small amount (3 tablespoons or so) of oil in a sauté pan over medium heat and drop loosely formed patties (about ½ cup per patty) and shape them with a fork if necessary. Cook for about 4 minutes and then flip them over. Continue to cook for another 4 minutes or so, flip them again and cook for a final minute before removing them to a plate lined with paper towel.
Nice to serve them with cranberry sauce, cranberry relish, or applesauce.