Baked Potato Pancakes (with Smoked Salmon)
I've made mention of my father's potato pancakes before, which he would serve as an appetizer on Christmas Eve every year. He would stand tall over the frying pan for an hour or more making platter after platter of pancakes (we're a big crowd!). While I've continued the tradition, I've since found an easier approach to cooking them, thanks to Martha Stewart. Martha's recipe is nearly identical to my dad's, save for the dill; but rather than frying them, Martha recommends baking them in a 450° oven for approximately 17 minutes. I know my dad would approve of their crispiness. I'm not sure, however, how he'd feel about the smoked salmon!
Serves 6
Ingredients
1 small yellow onion (about 5 ounces), peeled and grated on the large holes of a box grater
3 Yukon gold potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled and grated on the large holes of a box grater
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, plus sprigs for garnish
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg white (my dad used the entire egg)
4 ounces gravlax (I used smoked salmon; my father used no salmon!)
1/4 cup sour cream (I used crème fraîche)
Olive-oil, cooking spray
Preparation
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place grated onion in a fine sieve, and press out as much moisture as possible.
Combine onion, potatoes, chopped dill, salt, pepper, and egg white in a medium bowl, and stir to combine.
Coat two baking sheets with olive-oil cooking spray. Form pancakes by dropping about 1 tablespoon mixture on tray for each and flattening into disks.
Bake until golden brown on bottom, about 10 minutes, rotating trays once during cooking. Remove from oven, and turn pancakes over. Return to oven, and bake until brown on both sides, about 7 minutes more.
Serve pancakes topped with gravlax and a dab of sour cream (or crème fraîche). Garnish with dill sprigs.
