From Chef Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering

A 5 lb. bag of potatoes makes approximately 20 pancakes using a scoop of roughly 1/3 cup capacity.

Ingredients:

• 3 large potatoes, peeled, cut up, cooked in boiling water, drained and mashed so no lumps remain, no liquid or butter added
• 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed (optional)
• 1 slice of gluten-free bacon, cut into thin strips
• 1 egg (or ¼ cup egg substitute)
• 1 tbsp gluten-free Ranch or Italian dressing (or other favorite flavor)
• ¼ cup shredded Swiss or other strong cheese
• Pepper
• Salt
• Gluten-free flour – I use potato flour, which gives a great crispy crust and a flavor of roasted potatoes.

Directions:

1. Place onion, garlic and bacon in microwave safe bowl and cook for 1-2 minutes until softened.

2. Add mashed potatoes, egg, salad dressing, cheese and ground pepper to onion/bacon bowl and mix well together.

3. Put ½ cup flour with salt and pepper in a wide cereal bowl. Using ice cream scoop, make balls of potato mix, flatten slightly and turn in seasoned flour. Warm potato mix tends to be very floppy and soft, so do your best.

4. Heat a large, heavy skillet. Once hot, add enough oil to just cover the bottom, not deeply. Add potato pancakes. Don’t crowd the pan, and leave enough space to be able to turn pancakes to cook the other side. Cook over medium heat for 5-10 minutes per side until the are golden brown and crunchy. Cooking times will vary depending on the size and type of pan.

5. Remove pancakes and drain on paper towel.

Tips & Alternatives:

These can be made in advance and then reheated in a single layer in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes (to retain crunchiness) or zapped in the microwave.

You can leave out the bacon and serve them with fish dishes. Make the pancakes in small silver dollar size and top them with sour cream and caviar or sour cream and pieces of smoked or cooked salmon as a party appetizer.