Recipe: Golden Passover Parsley Cakes with Horseradish-Sour Cream Sauce

Golden Passover Parsley Cakes
...with Horseradish-Sour Cream Sauce

Yield: ten 3-1/2 inch pancakes

At the traditional Jewish Seder, or Passover dinner, parsley symbolizes springtime, hope and renewal. Horseradish represents the bitterness experienced by Jewish forefathers as Egypt's slaves. This potato pancake recipe includes carrots for a golden hue, brightened with the spring green colors of parsley and chives—all zipped up with a creamy horseradish-sour cream sauce on the side. (The pancakes also taste wonderful plain, without the sauce.)

Several sprigs parsley (enough to make 2 to 3 tablespoons minced)
2 eggs
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour or matzo flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon freeze dried chives or fresh chives, chopped
1/2 pound carrots (about 3 medium), scrubbed
1/2 pound baking potato (about 1 large), peeled
Vegetable oil for frying

Horseradish-Sour Cream Sauce (optional)
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

Tip: Use a food processor to make these potato pancakes in just a few minutes. If you don't have a food processor, use a knife for chopping and a grater for grating, as needed.

Heat oven to 200 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.

Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl with the salt, white pepper, and chives.

Using the shredding disk of a food processor, shred the carrots and potato. Place the carrots and potato in a kitchen towel and squeeze to remove excess moisture.

Exchange the shredding disk for the chopping blade and finely chop enough parsley to make 2 to 3 tablespoons.

Add the parsley, potato mixture and flour to the mixing bowl. Combine all ingredients until well mixed.

On medium-high, heat enough oil in a frying pan to cover the pan by 1/8 to 1/4 inch. When the oil begins to ripple, add the potato batter, making pancakes about 3-1/2 inches in diameter, pressing down each mound with a spatula to flatten. You should be able to fit about 5 pancakes (1/2 the mixture) in a 12-inch skillet. Fry until crisp and brown on one side, then flip and brown the other side. If the pancakes brown too fast, lower the heat. Place the cooked pancakes on the paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain, and keep warm in the oven. Serve with Horseradish-Sour Cream Sauce on the side.

Horseradish-Sour Cream Sauce
Mix horseradish and sour cream together in a small bowl; chill until ready to serve.

Potato Pancakes for St. Paddy's and Passover

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