Hawaiian Latkes? Yes! Purple Sweet Potato Pancakes!

Gollee! Gee Willickers! It’s been ages since my last newsletter. So thank you for sticking with me.

During my hiatus, I fell in love with Okinawan purple sweet potatoes. They’re on the small side, about 4 to 5 ounces each, with brownish skins. But when peeled they reveal themselves as gorgeously purple.

I boil them for my first dish of purple mashed potatoes. And let me tell you, they are utterly delicious and creamy smooth without adding any cream. When raw, these potatoes have a very firm texture making them easy to shred by hand. The shreds feel damp but not at all wet.

Bingo! That means no squeezing to rid the shredded potatoes of moisture. To turn those shreds into pancakes you just stir in seasonings, an egg, and some dried bread crumbs, matzoh meal, or flour. Now comes the fun part: frying up a batch of crispy latkes.

Potato pancakes (Latkes) are a traditional treat during Hannukah. I think that one reason latkes are seasonal is because of the manual labor involved in getting the water out of the potatoes. Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze, and more squeeze.

But purple sweet potatoes can make latkes a frequent potato side dish.

Shred the peeled potatoes on the largest holes of a box grater.

The Recipe

1.For this recipe, which makes 8 to 9 potato pancakes, two 4-ounce peeled potatoes will do it. Shred them. Press firmly as you move the potato up and down.

2.When you fluff the potato shreds they won’t feel at all wet. Put them into a medium bowl and add the remaining ingredients—1 large egg, 1 teaspoon Kosher Crystal Diamond salt (or ½ teaspoon fine sea salt), ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger, and ¼ cup panko crumbs, matzah meal, or all-purpose flour. Mix well and you’re ready to start cooking.

3.Film the bottom of a 12-inch skillet, preferably non-stick, with 1/3 to ½ cup oil. I use coconut oil. But olive oil, peanut oil, avocado oil, grapeseed oil, or other oil you like, is fine.

4.Turn on the heat to medium-high and when the oil begins to shimmer, it’s ready to receive the pancakes. Give the sweet potato mixture a big stir and spoon a heaping soupspoonful into the oil. The oil should sizzle. Press down gently to level the pancake. Continue spooning the mixture into the pan—leave a bit of space between cakes--pressing down on each one. Work quickly so the pancakes cook for about the same time.

5.Cook 2 to 3 minutes until the pancake bottoms are nicely browned and crisp. Flip them and continue cooking another 3 minutes or so until they’re well-browned and very crisp.

6.Drain the pancakes on a kitchen towel or paper towels and transfer them to a warmed platter. Serve right away.

I serve the pancakes as is, but you can top them with a little sour cream, a drizzle of honey, applesauce, smoked salmon or whatever else you may like.

Feel free to change the seasonings in the pancake mix according to your tastes.

This recipe may be doubled.

7.Have fun!