Green Garlic Potato Pancakes....

I always try to grow extra garlic so that I can pick a lot of it green. The latest dish that it went into was potato pancakes. But, I tried something new this time, I cooked them in a waffle iron. Wow, were they good! Extra crispy with lots of dents to catch the toppings.

Most potato pancake recipes call for russet potatoes. I used what I had on hand, which happened to be fingerlings. I didn't peel them, just gave them a good scrub. The texture is probably a bit lighter when made with russets, but the fingerlings worked fine. I also didn't add salt to the potato mixture before cooking it since the toppings I was using were already quite salty. I made all of them ahead of time and then reheated/crisped them in the oven just before serving.

Green Garlic Potato Pancake Waffles

2 shoots of green garlic, white and green parts, chopped

1 egg

1 tablespoon creme fraiche

1 tablespoon flour

1 pound potatoes, coarsely grated on a box grater

vegetable oil as needed

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat a regular (not Belgian) waffle iron.

Stir together the garlic, egg, creme fraiche, and flour in a medium mixing bowl. Add the grated potatoes and stir to thoroughly combine.

Brush both sides of the waffle iron with vegetable oil. Mound 1/2 cup of the potato mixture in the middle of each square, flatten slightly and then close the iron. Cook for about 12 minutes, or until very little steam is coming from the iron and the potatoes are brown and crisp.

Makes about 6 "pancakes".

I served these with some fresh goat cheese, creme fraiche, smoked trout, smoked salmon, red onion slices that had been tossed with wine vinegar, and capers.