YAM AND POTATO PANCAKES

f you remember my post on pirozhki, I mentioned an interestingly common culinary occurrence around the world: meat cooked in dough, having different names and different methods of preparation, makes an appearance in countries from those in Asia to Europe to Latin America. 

I may have stumbled on another curious culinary conundrum of sorts. Shredded, fried potato cakes. Potato fritters. Latkes. Potetkaker. Deruny or draniki in Ukrainian and Russian respectively (both meaning something shredded). These have traveled from Ukraine to United States to Norway and back, although not necessarily in that order. What conclusion can we draw from this? I can only see one. They must begood.

My mom used to make these when I was little. The version I made is with young gold potatoes, which burst with juices and add more freshness, and yams, which add a sweet complexity to the cakes. As an added bonus, they are also gluten-free. These savory and sweet cakes are tasty by themselves, with a dollop of sour cream or low-fat yogurt, or as a side dish for dinner (providing a deliciously simple way to get away from the usual suspects like mashed potatoes or rice).

Yam and Potato Pancakes

(Makes about 8 pancakes)

You will need:

2 large young gold potatoes

1 medium yam 

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tbsp freshly chopped dill 

1/4 tsp salt, or to taste

1/8 tsp pepper, or to taste

1 1/2 tbsp potato flour 

2-3 tbsp canola oil

Directions:

1. Peel and grate potatoes and yam and place in a bowl. Add the egg, dill, salt and pepper and mix. Sprinkle with potato flour and mix well to combine. Form the potato mixture into eight flattened patties (about 3 inches across). Heat oil on medium heat in a large pan and add the cakes, working in batches if necessary. Cook the cakes until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. As an option, serve with chopped scallion and sour cream or low-fat plain yogurt.