Jup's Pintoh » 2008

Archive for July, 2008

Jup's Pintoh is Two Already?!

July 9, 2008 3:33 PM

I can’t believe another year has gone by so quickly since the last time I announced that Jup’s Pintoh turned one. And in that one year, I still haven’t posted up any cake recipes to celebrate. Well, now Jup’s Pintoh is two and to make up for the time that I’ve been away (and to lessen the guilt I’m feeling), I’m going to share a recipe for potato pancakes with smoked salmon that I’ve adapted from Paula Lambert’s The Cheese Lover’s Cookbook and Guide: Over 150 Recipes with Instructions on How to Buy, Store, and Serve All Your Favorite Cheeses.

In her recipe, Paula uses mascarpone and crème fraîche to make the sauce and she seasons it with Tabasco and dill but I substituted sour cream for the mascarpone and crème fraîche, and I didn’t add Tabasco to my sauce. Instead, I used wasabi, which goes great with salmon, and it also adds freshness and a bite to the sauce so it wouldn’t be too heavy and boring.

Potato Pancakes with Smoked Salmon

Potato Pancakes with Smoked Salmon and Wasabi Dill Sauce
(Makes 4 servings)

12 slices smoked salmon
4 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 sprigs of fresh dill, for garnish

For the potato pancakes:

2 large potatoes
1/2 onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. shallots, minced finely
1/2 cup sour cream
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

For the wasabi dill sauce:

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup snipped fresh dill
1 to 1 1/2 tsp. fresh wasabi to taste (adjust according to taste)
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

To make the Wasabi Dill Sauce, stir together the sour cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, dill and wasabi. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until serving time.

For the Potato Pancakes, peel and grate the potatoes. Place the grated potatoes in a large bowl and add the onions and shallots. Add the egg, sour cream, cheese, flour, salt and pepper and mix all the ingredients together until a rough batter forms.

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Scoop up a heaping 1/4 cup of the potato mixture and place in the skillet. Use a spatula to shape the pancake into a round, smoothing the top and sides. Add 1 or 2 more pancakes to the pan, without crowding, and cook for 4 minutes on one side or until golden brown.

Potato Pancakes

Turn the pancakes and cook for an additional 4 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove the pancakes as they are cooked and put them on a plate in a single layer. Wipe out the skillet if necessary and melt more butter to cook the additional pancakes. Continue until all are cooked.

Just before serving, place the cooked pancakes in a toaster to warm it up for 2-3 minutes, or you can place them in a preheated oven at 400°F (approx. 200°C) for 3 minutes.

To serve, spread about 1 tablespoon of the wasabi dill sauce on each warm pancake. Arrange the smoked salmon slices artfully on top and garnish with dill sprigs or sprinkle with snipped dill. Drizzle with freshly squeezed lemon juice to add a zing to your salmon.