Potato Pancakes with Smoked Salmon, Sour Cream and Dill

...The secret to great potato pancakes is to make sure you squeeze out all the water before mixing. This will give you beautifully browned, crispy cakes. By the way, if you're out of smoked salmon, these are wonderful with applesauce.

Makes 8 Potato Pancakes

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 pounds russet potato, peeled
• 1/2 yellow onion, peeled
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• pinch of cayenne
• vegetable oil, as needed
• 3-4 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon
• 4 tablespoon sour cream
• 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped

Preparation:

Using a cheese grater, shred the potatoes, and quickly transfer into a large bowl of cold water. Grate the onion and add to bowl. Let sit for 20 minutes. Add the eggs, flour, salt, pepper, and cayenne to another large mixing bowl, and whisk until smooth; reserve.

Drain the potato mixture into a colander, pressing down to squeeze out as much water as possible. Line a baking sheet with several layers of paper towels. Take a handful of the potato mixture from the colander, and squeeze as hard as possible to extract even more water. Place the "dry" potatoes on the paper towels.

Repeat until all the potato mixture has been squeezed dry. Spread the potatoes evenly on the baking sheet and press down with some dry paper towels. Remove the paper towels and transfer the potato mixture to the bowl with the egg mixture. Use a spatula to combine thoroughly.

Pour about 1/4 inch of vegetable oil into a large, heavy skillet (preferably non-stick). Place over medium-high heat, and when the oil is hot (the surface will begin to shimmer), spoon about 1/3 cup of the potato mixture into the pan, shape into a round, and flatten to about 1/2-inch thick. Turn down the heat to medium, and fry the potato pancakes for about 5 minutes per side, or until browned and crispy.

Remember, the potatoes are raw, so be sure they cook through. There is nothing worse than raw potatoes! You can probably fry 4 potato pancakes at a time. Drain on paper towels and hold in a warm oven until they're all done (or use 2 pans).

To serve, top with the sliced smoked salmon, a dollop of sour cream, the fresh dill, and a few grinds of black pepper.