two buckwheat latkes

what to do with a bunch of seasonal root vegetables from last weeks farmers market? make latkes! this recipe is fairly flexible and forgiving, just make sure to dry your vegetables a bit in order to get crisp latkes. this recipe made about 6 or 8 fairly large latkes. here is what i had to use up...

3 cups mixture of:

grated sweet carrots

grated parsnips

grated potatoes

1 small onion, or 1/2 large onion

1 clove garlic, pressed or diced

2 eggs

1/4 cup buckwheat flour

1 teaspoon salt

fresh ground pepper

(note: preheat your oven to 300 if you want to keep the latkes warm until they are all ready to be served)

once grated, place your root vegetables inside a cheese cloth and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. let sit for a few minutes, and then squeeze again. while your root vegetables are sitting, whisk together 2 fresh eggs and 1/4 cup flour. i used buckwheat flour for extra color and flavor. mix remaining ingredients all together until well combined.

heat a skillet - my cast iron worked great - and pour several tablespoons of vegetable oil in. drop a small handful of latke mixture into the hot oil, and cook on each side for about 1 minute at medium/high heat. let rest on a paper toil to soak off a bit of the oil, and then either serve up or place in a preheated oven to keep warm!

two topping ideas:

a poached egg, chives, and a dab of sour creme. (need help learning to perfectly poach an egg? the secret involves a splash of vinegar in your sub-simmering water, and a whirlpool!)

or instead of apple sauce, try a few slices of ripe pair and blue cheese. this particular blue cheese is an amazing mixture of cow and goats milk, called "two faced blue" from willapa hills.