Latkes

          Inspiration is one of the great vehicles that drives dinner hour at our house. I look for it through solicited opinions about who would like what for dinner. I also look for it through websites of those much more gifted in the creativity department than myself. But then I think, hey, if they can then so can I - and that is exactly what happened with this post.

          I stumbled upon (if only I could remember) someone who thought it would be a great idea to treat a potato pancake (versions which are too numerous to mention) as a base for an "interpretive pizza". I decided to make mine an "interpretive perogie" - all the great flavours I love but without the wheat dough surrounding the wonderful potato filling.
          My favourite is the potato and bacon filled ones and there always has to be additional bacon on the table to add as a garnishment, along with sour cream and fresh chives (my favourite). Another requirement is that it is served with a side of bratwurst which I personally skip. I think that this meal is great on its own with a small sprinkle of bacon on top.

          Latkes have many variations but the base starts out the same - grated potato. Just to mix it up a little I added gluten free bread crumbs which contained no milk, egg or corn by Aurora Foods. It contains white rice flour, water, potato starch, brown rice flour, yeast, salt and sugar. The finished latke had a slightly noticeable inside crunch in addition to the outer crunch! I enjoy a traditional latke with a soft inside and crunchy outside but this is definitely my new go-to recipe.... and it was unanimously voted as a repeat performer at the dinner table!  Enjoy!

Potato Latkes with Sour Cream, Chives and Bacon 

8 medium potatoes, peeled and grated 

1 med/large onion, grated 

salt and fresh ground black pepper 

1 egg 

2 tbsps milk 

1/4 cup gluten free bread crumbs 

1. Grate potato and onion into a large bowl. Squeeze out extra moisture
and transfer to another large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. 

2. In a small bowl, scramble egg with added milk. 

3. Make a well in the centre of the potatoes, pour in egg mixture,
add bread crumbs and mix well. 

4. Place desired portion size onto pre-heated flat grill or skillet
and press down to form a pancake shape with a uniform thickness.
 Once bottom has turned golden brown use a large spatula and flip.
Once underside is done, you can place in a low heat oven
on a tray until the rest are ready. 

5. Serve with a small spoon of sour cream,
evenly spread over the latke,
sprinkle with chives and bacon.

an original interpretive recipe by Silvia