Renee Cohen
The first night of Hanukkah and the Thanksgiving holiday collide this year and that convergence will not occur again for another 77,000 years. This once-in-a-lifetime event is a great opportunity to expand our traditional food offerings for each holiday and combine some of them as well.
If you love sweet potatoes and you love potato latkes – why not substitute sweet potatoes for the usual mashed potatoes in your latkes?
Here’s a special recipe to help with celebrating both holidays. I particularly love the sweetness of the maple syrup with the tanginess of the yogurt and how it balances out the flavors of the sweet potato pancakes.
Sweet Potato Pancakes with Maple-Yogurt Dipping Sauce
Yield: About 30 Pancakes
4-5 medium sweet potatoes (about 3 pounds), washed and peeled
1 tsp. kosher salt
4 large eggs, beaten
2 small cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 small onion, grated
dash of cayenne pepper
freshly ground pepper
canola oil for frying
8 ounces Chobani or Fage Greek yogurt
1 heaping Tbsp. maple syrup
pinch of cinnamon (optional)
fine sea salt
In a mixing bowl, combine the Greek yogurt and the maple syrup. Adjust seasonings with fine sea salt and a pinch of cinnamon (if using). Place in the refrigerator, covered, until ready to use.
Grate the potatoes using the large hole on a box grater. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and garlic together; fold in the flour, grated onion and pepper and mix until moistened. Fold in the grated potatoes and mix until just combined.
Using a frying pan or large cast-iron skillet, heat a ½-inch of oil until hot, but not smoking. Place a heaping tablespoon of the batter into the palm of your hand, and gently squeeze out the excess liquid. Pat together to make a small size pancake and gently place it into the heated oil, add about 5-6 more pancakes, making sure not to crowd the pan. Keep warm while cooking remaining pancakes. Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes, and using a spatula, flip each pancake. Fry the other side until golden, about 3 minutes (test first pancake for seasoning). Transfer to a baking pan lined with paper towel to absorb the oil, then transfer to a preheated 300-degree oven to keep warm. Repeat above procedure with remaining batter. Serve warm topped with yogurt mixture.
Pancakes may be frozen; cool first and layer in plastic container with waxed paper, and freeze up to 3 months. To reheat, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place frozen pancakes in single layer on a greased baking sheet. Bake uncovered, 15 minutes or until hot and slightly crisp.
Renee Cohen, Chef/Instructor, Cuisine Arts