St. Joseph's Potato Pancakes

St. Joseph's Potato Pancakes 

Nothing tastes better than recipes made from fresh garden ingredients, which is why I love Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette's (a.k.a. The Cooking Monk) Simplicity from a Monastery Kitchen. Creating a simple way of life through simple, wholesome food is the central theme running throughout the cookbook. 

Locally grown offerings are used to create a wide range of fresh and simple recipes, and as the book cover so eloquently puts it, these recipes are as good for the body as they are for the soul. Most of the recipes require less than five or six ingredients. St Joseph's Potato Pancakes require just a tad more.

Note: For a complete list of Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette's published works, visit Our Lady of the Resurrection Monastery.

Makes about 8 pancakes

St. Joseph's Potato Pancakes

Ingredients

• 5 large red potatoes, peeled and grated
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 onion, grated or finely chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• A small bunch of parsley, finely chopped
• About 8 tablespoons vegetable oil (or olive oil)
• Finely chopped fresh dill, as garnish

Preparation

1) Preheat the oven to 250° F. Place the grated potatoes in a pot, fill it with cold water, and set aside.

2) Drain potatoes just before using them.

3) In a deep bowl beat the eggs.

[This bowl is so deep, I have to zoom in to see the eggs.]

 

4) Add the milk and beat some more.

5) Add the drained, grated potatoes, onion, salt, and pepper, thyme, and chopped parsley.

6) Mix the ingredients with the help of a spatula until thoroughly blended.

7) To make the pancakes use a crêpe pan or a nonstick skillet. In the pan heat about 1 tablespoon oil (each time) to low-medium and pour in about one eighth of the potato mixture. Flatten the mixture evenly with a spatula and cook over medium heat until the pancake turns brown at the bottom. Turn the pancake over carefully and continue cooking the other side.

8) When the pancake is done, slide it carefully onto an ovenproof platter. Repeat the process until all the pancakes are done. Keep the pancakes in the warm oven until ready to serve. Before serving sprinkle some chopped dill on the top of each pancake.

These potato pancakes are terrifically tasty! They were a little hard to keep together, so I had to keep squishing them back into their round shape. I didn't know potatoes could do this. It's quite extraordinary. I don't have any fresh dill to use as garnish, so I top my potato pancakes with a low-fat shredded cheddar cheese. I would cook this again in a heartbeat.

Bio: Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette is resident monk at Our Lady of the Resurrection Monastery near Millbrook, New York, a monastery that lives under the rule of St. Benedict. There he cooks and tends the garden that supplies both the monastery and the local farmers' market.