Recipe: Little Potato and Sweet Potato Pancakes

From Bryant Terry's Vegan Soul Kitchen. Savory and sweet, anyone who eats this won't even pause to consider whether they're vegetarian or vegan--they're just good food, which is what matters. Chef Terry, whose publicity photo I simply could not resist including below, recommends serving with apple sauce.

Makes 10 to 12 pancakes, serves 4 to 6.

    • ¼ banana, chopped
    • 3 tablespoons unflavored rice milk
    • ¾ pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and coarsely grated
    • ¾ pound sweet potatoes, peeled and coarsely grated
    • ¼ cup grated red onion
    • 3 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
    • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
    • extra-virgin olive oil

In a blender, puree the banana in the rice milk. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 200°F.

Photo by (c) Bart Nagle

In a large bowl, combine the Yukon Gold potatoes, sweet potatoes, and onions and mix well. Drain the potatoes and onions by wrapping them in a clean dishtowel and wringing out excess liquid.

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, onions, flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and the banana-rice milk mixture.

In a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat, warm 3 tablespoons olive oil. In batches of four, spoon two tablespoons of the potato mixture into the oil and flatten with a slotted spatula. Cook until brown on the bottom. Turn and brown the second side until crisp, 3 to 5 minutes each side. Transfer the pancakes with a spatula to a paper towel-lined plate and drain. Repeat with the remaining potato mixture, adding more oil as necessary.

After draining, keep pancakes warm in the oven.

From the book Vegan Soul Kitchen by Bryant Terry. Excerpted by arrangement with Da Capo Lifelong, a member of the Perseus Books Group. Copyright (c) 2009.