Sweet Potato Pancakes with Curry Mayo Sauce, # 2 Sweet Potatoes 8 ways

The broads spent a delightful week in Santa Fe mostly working but also eating, drinking, shopping and exploring the cultural heritage. We visited museums, a spa and searched for good restaurants and cafés to tasted regional and exceptional food. Santa Fe did not disappoint.

We ate at Café Pasqual, sipped hot chocolate at Kakawa, lunched at the Shed, started the day with great coffee and croissants at the Swiss bakery but also cooked at home, a fabulous rental for the week.

Amazing “patty melt” with French Onion Soup

By now you must be thinking what does that have to do with sweet potatoes.
Please bear with me.

On the way back to Albuquerque, Deb and I took the scenic “Turquoise Trail”. This route brought us through the small town of Madrid NM, an old coal mining town that became a ghost town in the ’50s before being re- discovered in the ‘70s. Today it is a
thriving artist’s community. It is also the home to a funky but amazing restaurant called
“The Hollar”. Deb and I stumbled upon it after rejecting a rough looking Joint for lunch across the street. We were able to sit outside and a very friendly waitress
explained the menu. We ordered French onion and mushroom soup and the
best, grilled cheese sandwich. However, the highlight was a side of sweet potato fries with a curry aioli.  The crispy sweet potato fries dipped in the lightly curry flavored, silky aioli was to die for. It was an unexpected flavor combination that worked perfectly
together.

I told you I was going to get to the sweet potato part!

Here is a recipe that was inspired by the lunch at the Hollar:

This is a good side dish to plain eggs.

Serves 4 – 6 as a side dish.

INGREDIENTS:

¼ cup grated sweet onion

1 cup peeled and
shredded sweet potato (about one medium sized)

1 cup peeled and
shredded Yukon gold potato (about a medium sized one as well)

1 tablespoon flour

1 large egg,
lightly beaten

½ teaspoon salt or to taste

    freshly ground pepper to taste

    oil
for frying pan, I used avocado oil because of the high heating point

¼  cup mayonnaise,
homemade or store bought, your choice but pick a brand with as little sugar as
possible

¼ cup sour cream, (you might
as well go for the real deal)

1 teaspoon of
your favorite curry powder, or to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Mix mayo, sour cream and curry powder. Set aside in refrigerator.

To grate the onion and potatoes I use the large holes on a box grater.

In a medium size bowl mix the grated onion and potatoes. When mixed put it into a double layer of cheese cloths and squeeze out as much liquid as you possibly can.

Return mixture to the bowl.
Discard cheese cloths. Add the flour, salt and pepper to the potato mixture and
mix thoroughly.  Mix in egg. Form 6 small flat or 4 larger flat pancakes.

Heat oil in a large frying pan to medium high heat and add pancakes. Fry on each side for about three minutes until golden. Keep an eye on the pancakes while they cook. You want them to be golden crispy on the outside and cooked through. Drain on a plate lined with a paper towel.

Serve each pancake with a dollop of curry mayo sauce. Enjoy!

P.S. If you are in that area of New Mexico do not miss a visit to the Hollar. The food is creative and very good.

Danielle Hanscom