Zucchini and Potato Pancake

This is one of those many recipes in my folder that I had discovered years ago (unfortunately cannot remember the source) and have served me well when I have to think of cooking something simple.

We try to keep dinners carb free, so something like this pancake or the spinach & corn bake or eggplant pizza which I shall post next, are great options for dinners which are tasty, filling but don’t need bread or rice.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled & grated
• 2 medium zucchini, grated
• 3 small garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese + 1 tbsp for garnish
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 2 egg whites lightly beaten
• 1-2 tsp salt + extra to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 2-3 tbsp vegetable oil
• Olive oil for drizzling

Method:

Place an oven rack in the centre of the oven and preheat the oven to 220℃.

Place the potatoes and zucchini on paper towels, bring the ends of the towels together and squeeze excess moisture out of the vegetables. Place the vegetables in a medium bowl, and add the garlic, chopped rosemary, parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, egg whites, salt and pepper. Mix well to ensure everything is well combined.

Heat a 12 inch nonstick pan and add the vegetable oil. Swirl the pan to ensure the oil spreads evenly across the surface. Add the vegetable mixture to the pan, and using a spatula press the mixture down evenly. Drizzle with olive oil and the remaining 1 tbsp of parmesan cheese. Let the mixture cook for about 6-8 min in the pan till the edges start to brown.

Now you can either place the pan in the oven or you can gently slide the pancake with the cooked side down on a baking sheet lined tray and place it inside the oven. Once inside, let it bake for 20-25 mins till the top of the pancake is nicely browned and slightly crisp. Don’t over bake it.

Remove the pancake from the oven. Let it cool slightly and then you can cut wedges and serve on individual plates. We like to have this with a side of sriracha and mayonnaise, and sometimes top it with some fresh garnish like onion greens and red radish.

The pancakes are really tasty, and the combination of the vegetables, rosemary and parmesan give it an unusual flavour. I’m sure you can play around with other vegetable & flavour combinations and still get great results!

Priya