Oven Baked Potato Pancakes (Latkes)

This weekend Brian and I are headed to my mother's for a traditional Chanukah dinner. And, in my mother's house, that means latkes and lots of them. I know some families make a brisket and maybe some veggies but my mother always wisely felt that these foods would just interfere with your ability to stuff as many potato pancakes into yourself as possible. And considering how perfectly she made them, I would have to agree. She is a purist who wouldn't dream of any kind of machine grating or shredding. A box grater and lots of arm strength is what's called for here! She fried them with generous amounts of canola oil and served them hot and crispy with apple sauce and sour cream on the side. I'm drooling in anticipation!

But Chanukah is an 8 day affair and we'd have oil seeping out of our pores if we indulged every night.  Still, though...we crave that latke flavor...  Fortunately I've found a solution for those other 8 days (and any other day of the year, for that matter). I noticed a recipe for baked latkes on RecipeLand and the idea of making them in a large muffin tin appealed to me. Sometimes baked veggie pancakes are understandably dry but these were quite moist and full of that potato latke flavor. Of course, it's not quite my mother's latkes but it's still delicious. And if you're interested in the purist version, you can click here for my authentic Jewish mother's latkes. Enjoy!


Ingredients
(Adapted from RecipeLand)
2 Large baking potatoes, peeled
1 Small onion
1 Egg
1 Tablespoon all purpose flour
1/4 Cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 Tablespoons scallions, chopped
1 Tablespoon olive or canola oil
1/2 Teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste

Grate the onion and potatoes through the large holes of a box grater into a large bowl. Stir in the egg, cheese, scallions, oil, salt, pepper and flour. When fully mixed, pour the mixture into a colander set over a second bowl and press down on the mixture with the back of a large spoon. Press out as much of the liquid as you can.

Spray a large, 6 cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray and divide the potato mixture evenly into each cup. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes until the edges are golden brown but not burned. Remove from the oven and let rest in the muffin tin for 10 minutes before removing. Serve warm with sour cream, if desired. Makes 2 servings.