2 lb Large Yellow Finn or Yukon
-Gold potatoes
1 1/2 ts Olive oil
6 Shoots green garlic or 1
-leek; sliced
(white and pale green
-parts); (1/2 cups)
Salt and freshly ground
-black pepper
1 lg Egg
2 tb Creme fraiche plus
1/2 c Creme fraiche; for garnish
1 1/2 oz Asiago cheese; grated (1/2
-cup)
1 tb All-purpose flour
1 tb Vegetable oil for cooking;
-up to 3
4 SERVINGS OVO-LACTO
Make these griddle cakes in the early spring, when tender shoots of green
garlic appear in the farmers’ markets. If green garlic isn’t available, you
can substitute leeks. The potatoes are precooked, so the skillet or griddle
top needs very little oil and the cakes cook quickly. Keep the first batch
of cakes warm in a low oven while you make the remaining cakes.
Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling water until still slightly firm and
nor completely cooked, about 20 minutes. Drain, reserving a little cooking
water to moisten skillet for sauteing green garlic. When cool enough to
handle, peel potatoes. Using largest hole of box grater or shredding disc
of food processor, grate potatoes. Place potatoes in large bowl and set
aside.
In medium skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add green garlic and
large pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until tender, adding enough reserved
potato cooking water to prevent sticking, about 5 minutes. Add to potatoes
along with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pinch pepper. In small bowl, beat together
egg and 2 tablespoons creme fraiche; add to potatoes. Stir in cheese and
flour and mix well. Form into 1/2-inch-thick cakes, 3 to 4 inches in
diameter; you should have 12 to 16 cakes.
In large skillet or griddle pan, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over
medium heat. Add cakes in batches and cook until crisp and golden, turning
once, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Add more oil as needed. Drain cakes on paper
towels. Serve with a generous spoonful of creme fraiche.
Recipe excerpted from The Greens Cookbook (Bantam Books, 1987), by Deborah
Madison and Edward Espe Brown.
PER SERVING: 327 CAL.; 10G PROT.; 9G TOTAL FAT (4G SAT. FAT); 53G CARB.;
73MG CHOL.; 463MG SOD.; 5G FIBER
Yields
4 servings