Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Poser Potato Pancakes
So I will totally admit these are poser potato pancakes and
I am pretty much a poser Jew. Let me also say that I mean absolutely no
disrespect, as the reason I am a poser Jew is because I have a curiosity, an
interest and a connection with the religion. Sure initially it was a scam to
get more presents out of the holiday season…this whole Christmas thing was
great, but when I found out there was a holiday in which you could get 8
presents…seriously I am not great at math but that is a no brainer. However, this
scam started as an adult and my curiosity towards the religion started as a
child.
I do have to admit it wasn’t until countless years of
therapy that I started to realize where this curiosity came from. As a kid I
went to a Montessori school that had a strong educational philosophy based on
exploration of other cultures, religions and view points. So we pretty much
embraced, studied and attempted to understand cultures/religions from around
the world. This was pretty great as a kid as we got to celebrate every holiday,
we ate foods from around the world and every day was an adventure and
exploration.
My introduction to potato pancakes started at this school
and it was a true love affair from the moment we met. I remember sitting in the
“cafeteria” eating potato pancakes with apple sauce and sour cream and although
I was small I was able to pack those things away. My love affair for Jewish
food has continue and grown over the years…with some of my favorite foods being
matzoh ball soup, and latkes.
But as I mentioned I also started to realize over the years
that my curiosity and desire to know more about the religion is much more
deeply rooted than matzoh ball soup and macaroons. My biological father, whom I
have never met, is/was Jewish and it is a part of who I am that I have craved
to understand. It is definitely strange growing up and having a void as to who
or what half of you was and so I have found that I have had curiosities and
exploration based on the limited knowledge I have of him, Judaism being one of
them. And although I still do not know, by a long shot, everything about this
religion, I do love the sense of community, the fact that it is a religion
based on love, the fact that it is tradition based and well the food.
Speaking of learning about the Jewish faith I did a little research about latkes aka potato pancakes at www.jewishanswers.com...yes that is a real web page. And did you know that latkes were not involved in the original Hanukkah story at all. Actually the potato was not known to most of the world until the 16th century. However, the oil that the latkes are fried in is part of the story. Hanukkah is the celebration of the miracle of a day supply of consecrated temple oil burning for 8 days. During Hanukkah it is customary to eat food friend in oil, hence the latkes.
So yes these are definitely poser potato pancakes not only
because I am a poser but also because they contain bacon and leeks. However,
they are my way of celebrating a part of me, a way of commemorating a religion
based on love and well a good excuse to eat one of my favorite foods.
These potato pancakes came from Cooking Light. Seriously, it
is hard to indulge in fried carbohydrates after running 6 miles at the gym. It
just seems counter intuitive to slave over the treadmill and then shove your
face full of fried food so this Cooking Light version was perfect for my
mindset... By the way did I mention I did something insane and signed up for my
first full marathon so I am definitely a little more health conscious and
neurotic than normal.
Back to the pancakes….just like all of my cooking endeavors
these pancakes were also very easy to make. First you cook the bacon until crisp…done.
Then sauté the onions in the onion grease…makes the house smell so good!! Add
the leeks and garlic and continue to cook. The leeks were actually a nice
addition as it gives the pancakes a slightly earthy flavor.
Remove the mixture from the heat and add to a bowl. Combine
the shredded potatoes, which gave me an upper body work out. Grating potatoes
is not easy!!! Then add the shredded cheese, salt and pepper…yes since it is a
Cooking Light recipe I did add extra salt, and 2 eggs. Combine all of that in a
bowl.
Take the mixture and shape it into 8 patties. Place the
patties on a cookie sheet that is greased with cooking spray and then spray the
top of your pancakes with additional spray. I was a little concerned because
the pancakes do look a little liquidy when you first place them on the baking
sheet but they do dry out in the oven so do not be alarmed.
Cook them for 25 minutes and serve with sour cream and back.
The bacon adds a nice salty flavor, the sour cream a bit of tang and I love the
earthy flavor of the potatoes and leeks. I will be honest they are not “just
like” fried potato pancakes but if you don’t get too obsessed with the original
variety you will be happy.
Here is the recipe:
- 2 center-cut hickory-smoked bacon slices$
- 2 cups chopped onion $
- 1 cup thinly sliced leek
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 1/2 pounds shredded peeled baking potato (about 2 large) $
- 1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large eggs $
- 1 tablespoon butter $
- 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream $
Preparation
- 1. Preheat oven to 350°.
- 2. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan using a slotted spoon, and crumble. Add onion to drippings in pan, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add leek and garlic; cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Combine onion mixture, grated potato, cheddar cheese, 3/4 teaspoon salt, black pepper, and 2 large eggs in a medium bowl, stirring well.
- 3. Divide the potato mixture into 8 equal portions, and shape each portion into a 1/2-inch-thick patty. Squeeze moisture from each patty. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties to pan; sauté 2 minutes on each side. Transfer patties to a baking sheet; bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until set. Top with crumbled bacon and sour cream.
Cheers and Happy Hanukkah!!
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