A new twist on a family classic

Growing up in a Hungarian household, we commonly had potato pancakes. It wasn’t the typical “latke” style pancake consisting of shredded potato pressed into a cake and pan-fried. It actually looked like a breakfast pancake. It involved using a blender to puree the raw ingredients and finished in a bowl to finish the batter. This is a buckwheat twist to my family’s recipe.

Potato-Buckwheat Pancakes

250g(1/2lb) peeled and cubed potatoes (about 1-1/4 cups)

1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion

2 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp garlic powder

2/3 cup milk (regular cow’s milk or soy milk)

1 egg (or Flax Egg* for a vegan option)

3/4 cup Gold Forest Grains buckwheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

In a blender, add the potato, onion, garlic, garlic powder and milk. Puree until completely smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl and whisk in the egg. In another medium bowl, combine the buckwheat flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually whisk into the potato mixture. Allow to sit for 15 minutes.

On a griddle surface or in a cast iron pan, preheat over a medium heat. Add 1 tsp of oil and ladle 1/2 cup of batter. Spread into a roughly 15cm/6″ circle. Griddle for 2-3 minutes per side, until golden on each side. Repeat with remaining batter. Makes 8-10 pancakes.

*Flax Eggs

1 Tbsp flax seeds

1/2 cup water

In a small saucepan, add the flax seeds and water and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain the mixture, retaining the liquid component. It should be a thickened “egg-like” consistency. Allow to cool in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before using. This is the equivalent of 1 egg in a recipe. This can be used as an ingredient to substitute an egg in a batter or dough recipe, but not as an “egg” on its own. ie. Cannot be used in place of eggs in an omelette.