Potato Latkes with Salmon Relish

From issue #5.
Photography by Photography by Simon Devitt.
Potato Latkes with Salmon Relish

Serves: 5 - 6

INGREDIENTS

Latkes
1 kilo Agria, or other floury potatoes
1 medium onion
4 egg whites
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
clarified butter for frying

Salmon Relish
400 grams fresh salmon
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons capers
3 tablespoons finely chopped dill
2 tablespoons horseradish sauce
juice of ½ lemon
4 heaped tablespoons crème fraîche

METHOD

Latkes: Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Scrub or peel the potatoes if you wish, and grate, either in a food processor or by hand. Peel and grate the onion. Prepare these as close to cooking time as possible, as the potatoes may discolour. Combine the potato and onion. Take handfuls of the mixture and squeeze out to remove any liquid and starch. Disposable gloves are a good idea.

Working in batches, roll the mix in a clean tea towel and squeeze again by twisting each end in opposite directions. Tip into a clean bowl. Whisk the egg whites in another bowl until soft peaks form. Add to the potato and onion and gently mix through. Season.

Heat some clarified butter in a large fry pan. Use your hands to shape the potatoes into patties, and then place gently in the fry pan. Cook until golden on each side. Depending on how thick your latkes are you may find that while the outside is crisp and golden, the inside may not be cooked through – in this instance place on a baking tray in the oven for 5-8 minutes.

Relish: Remove the skin and any bones from the salmon – see left. Cut into 5mm cubes. Heat the olive oil in a medium sized fry pan and fry the salmon until just cooked. Set aside to cool. Mix together the
remaining ingredients and gently toss the salmon through. Season.

To serve: Serve each person 2-3 latkes on individual plates topped with the salmon relish. Makes 15 large latkes. Serves 5-6