I know, that’s a terrible title. But no fear. I corrected my mistake, so you won’t make it.
This recipe is fairly prep-heavy, so doing it twice in the same evening irritated me, especially since I should have known better.
I often substitute crushed chicharonnes for bread crumbs in recipes to cut some of the carbs. Stupid mistake for a potato pancake. Don’t do it. Other than that, this is a great meal or snack for any time of day.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup vegetable oil, divided
1 medium-size red onion, thinly sliced
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided, plus more for sprinkling
8 ounces of baby spinach1 teaspoon water
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
1 large yellow onion, quartered lengthwise with root end intact
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup panko or unsalted matzo meal
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh chives, plus more for garnish
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup crème fraîche
METHOD
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large (12-inch) cast-iron skillet over medium.
Add red onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, about 8 minutes.
Add spinach and 1 teaspoon water; cook, folding spinach into onion mixture, until it wilts, about 2 minutes.
Add vinegar; cook, stirring constantly, until evaporated, about 20 seconds. Remove from heat. Transfer mixture to a small heatproof bowl; set aside. Wipe skillet clean.
Preheat oven to 475°F with rack in middle position. Grate potatoes and yellow onion on large holes of a box grater.
Working in batches, place grated vegetable mixture on a clean kitchen towel, and squeeze firmly over sink to remove as much liquid as possible. This is a really important step. The bread crumbs you’ll add can absorb some of the moisture (where I went wrong, by the way), but too much moisture will make the pancake mushy.
Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Add eggs, panko, chives, lemon zest, pepper, and remaining 2 teaspoons salt; stir until combined.
Add 1/4 cup oil to cleaned skillet, and swirl to coat. Heat over medium-high until oil shimmers. Spoon potato mixture into skillet (mixture should sizzle on contact).
Using a spatula, press mixture into an even layer to cover bottom of skillet. Brush top of latke with remaining 2 tablespoons oil.
Bake in preheated oven on middle rack until latke bottom is browned and edges are crisp, about 15 minutes.
Heat broiler to high (do not remove skillet from oven). Broil until top of latke is golden brown in spots, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool 5 minutes.
Place a large plate on top of skillet, and invert to remove latke.
Sprinkle latke lightly with salt. Top with spinach and onion mixture.
I added some crème fraîche and a bit of smoked salmon, but it’s perfectly fine without it. I added a salad and it was dinner.
A very late dinner, since I had to do it twice, but hey....
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