Potato Pancakes
Why I Love This Recipe
This week the HR department at my work hosted a contest to celebrate the start of the 2012 Olympics. Everyone was assigned to a country and on Friday we had a local food and costume contest. Each team had to bring in food traditional to their country and also dress up in costume.
Ingredients You'll Need
1 1/2 lbs. Russet potatoes
1/2 small yellow onion
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp. ground flaxseeds
6 tbsp. water
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tbsp. paprika
1 can coconut milk
Vegan sour cream (for garnish) (such as, Tofutti Sour Cream)
4 green onions (for garnish)
Directions
Peel the skins off the potatoes. Grate them quickly then dunk the shredded potatoes in a bowl of very cold water (the cold water prevents peeled potatoes from turning brown while you’re working). Grate the onion and garlic. Drain the water off the potatoes using a wire-mesh colander or cheese cloth, making sure to remove as much excess liquid as you can. Stir the grated onion and garlic into the potatoes and squeeze out excess liquid one more time. Cover with a paper towel and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine ground flaxseeds with water and whisk vigorously. Set aside to allow the mixture to thicken up, stirring occasionally (ground flaxseeds and water create a wonderful vegan substitute for eggs).
In a big bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and paprika. Pour in half the can of coconut milk and stir to create a batter. Add in the flaxseed-water mixture and the rest of the coconut milk. Then, stir in the potatoes, onion, and garlic and mix well.
Heat a griddle or big sauté pan over medium-high heat and coat with a thin layer of vegetable oil (such as canola/sunflower/safflower oil). Once the pan is hot, pour the potato pancake batter into about 2-3 inch wide rounds. Once they turn golden brown, flip and cook on the other side. Drain on paper towels and cook the rest of the batch, adding a little more oil when necessary.
Serve hot with sour cream and chopped green onions on top.
