Recipe: Silver dollar potato pancakes

The key to making them is to let the grated potatoes sit for about 10 minutes and then, using your hands, wring the liquidy starch out of them. Serve these golden brown cakes with sour cream, crème fraîche, or thick Greek-style yogurt or applesauce. They are delicious accompanied by a fried egg or omelet.

Ingredients
2 large potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled (Yukon Gold are perfect)
1 large egg
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh minced chives
About 2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Accompaniments
About 1 cup sour cream, crème fraîche, or Greek-style yogurt; and/or applesauce

Directions
1 Grate the potatoes on the coarse side of a large box grater into a large bowl. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Using your hands, squeeze the grated potatoes to release the brown starchy liquid; discard the liquid.

2 In a medium bowl, whisk the egg and add the potatoes. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh minced chives. Add 2 tablespoons of the flour and a generous dash of salt and pepper. If the mixture seems to hold together, it’s fine; if not, add the additional 1/2 tablespoon flour.

3 Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and let it get hot for about 1 minute. Carefully place a heaping tablespoon of the mixture— about 2 inches wide and 1 inch thick—into the hot skillet for each pancake. Let cook, undisturbed, for 3 minutes. Gently flip the pancakes over and, using your spatula, gently flatten them just slightly. Cook for another 4 to 5 minutes, adding more oil if needed, or until the pancakes are a rich golden brown on each side and cooked through and tender. (Cut one open to test.)

4 Drain on paper towels and serve hot with accompaniments. (You can also make them ahead of time and reheat them on a cookie sheet in a 300 degree F oven for about 10 minutes, but they’re never quite as good.)

Makes about twelve 2-inch pancakes; serves 5 to 6.

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Excerpted from Stonewall Kitchen Breakfast: A Collection of Good Morning Recipes. Published by Chronicle Books. Copyright © 2009 by Jonathan King, Jim Stott and Kathy Gunts. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission of Chronicle Books.

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