I digress- These- finally- are a potato pancake worth making from scratch! Thank you from Tyler Florence and his recipe from "Eat This Book".The key is to squeeze out all the water you can and fry them in plenty of vegetable oil (we ran out towards the end, with only 1/2 cup to start with).
We used chopped green onions instead of chives. Makes me think, you could add herbs instead, if desired (fresh chopped rosemary, thyme...). The addition just looks nice since it's green and adds subtle flavor enhancement.
Grate potatoes and onions. Avoid slicing your thumb and making it bloody like I did.This is the laborious, annoying part.
Maybe I will try the grate attachment on the food processor next time.
We have cheesecloth on hand. The package seems to last us forever. Well, maybe not so much now that we have this recipe! Divide your gratings into two piles to squeeze out all the possible juice you can (into the sink). The plump to the left is already squeezed and released.
Season your loosened up shavings with s (no need for kosher) & p and green onions/herbs. Toss it up.
Whisk 2 egg whites. Save the yolks for something good like hollandaise for eggs benedict.
Carefully mix in the egg whites by hand once you have 1/4" of vegetable oil heated on medium/medium high for frying.Add 2TB globs (a 1/8 cup measure is handy for this) and splat it down nice and flat with your measure or a "dirty" spatula. Allow to cook for two minutes on each side.
Rely on appearance not time when determining to flip. First cakes took 3 minutes each side.
The edges will start to become brown and then you'll know it's time to flip.
Put cooked cakes on paper towels to absorb grease and sprinkle salt to season more.
You can keep them warm before serving in a 200° oven.
We had them (not pictured) topped with sour cream. with a big omelette split in half and pan seared tomato slices. YUMMY!The remaining pancakes were frozen for future weekday, quick breakfasts. Reheat at 375° for 7 minutes each side.
