Chef's Notes
Note: Be sure to grate the lemon zest for the croquettes before you juice the lemon for the dipping sauce. Look for sweet potatoes with white flesh; they are less sweet than the orange varieties, which makes them more suitable for this dish.
Step 1: Making the Dill Dipping Sauce
- 1/2 cup dried navy beans, soaked
- 1/4 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for up to 2 hours to soften
- 1/2 cup fresh dill fronds
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic
- pinch of freshly ground black pepper
- sea salt, to taste
To make the dill dipping sauce, place the soaked navy beans in a small saucepan with 1 cup water. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium, partially cover the pan, and simmer until very tender, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from the heat but do not drain. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
In a blender, combine the cooked beans with their liquid and the cashews with 1/2 cup additional water along with the dill, lemon juice, garlic, pepper and salt to taste. Blend until well combined, uniformly bright green, and creamy; this may take a few minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Transfer the sauce to a covered container and chill until ready to serve.
This sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Step 2: Making the Croquettes
- 1 1/2 cups millet
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 lbs white sweet potatoes (about 2 large), peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 cup carrots, grated
- 1 cup green beans, small diced
- 1/2 cup green onions, white and light green parts, minced
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- sea salt, to taste
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
To make the croquettes: in a medium saucepan, bring 3 cups water to a boil over medium heat. Stir in the millet and turmeric. Cover the pot and simmer for 10 minutes (the liquid will probably not be completely absorbed yet). Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Uncover and fluff the millet with a fork. Set aside to cool.
Place a steamer basket insert in a saucepan and fill the pan with a couple of inches of water (the water should not come above the level of the bottom of the steamer). Cover the pan and bring the water to a boil. Place the sweet potatoes in the steamer basket. Cover the pan and steam until the sweet potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, 10 to 12 minutes. It is important not to overcook the potatoes. Transfer the potatoes to a large mixing bowl and mash them with a potato masher. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
When the mashed sweet potatoes and millet have cooled, add the millet to the bowl with the potatoes. Add the carrots, green beans, green onions, lemon zest, pepper, and salt to taste. Mix well but lightly. It is important to keep the mixture from getting dense and heavy.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and using an ice cream scoop, place roughly 1/2-cup scoops of the millet mixture on the baking sheets, making sure they do not touch each other. You should have about 2 dozen croquettes.Bake until the croquettes are lightly browned and crusty on the sides and bottom, about 30 minutes. Gently turn the croquettes over and continue to bake until nicely browned and crusty all around, about 30 minutes more; do not undercook or the croquettes will be crumbly. Serve hot, with the dipping sauce alongside.