Potato Pancakes

2 cups mashed potatoes
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon butter

- In a medium bowl, beat egg and salt. Add potatoes and cheese, mixing well.
- Melt butter on a large frying pan or griddle on medium heat.
- Drop potato mixture onto griddle 1/4 cup at a time.
- With a spatula, flatten the pancakes to 1/2 inch thick.
- Cook each side until golden brown, about 5 minuted per side. Serve hot.

If you want them more savory, add some garlic, onions or chives.
One of my favorite ways of making these is frying onions in the pan first and once they are removed, frying the potato pancakes in the oniony butter and then served with the fried onions. So good!

I like to serve these with eggs, soft boiled for me. Yum!

The sauce was not bad but not exactly what I was looking for. I will try it again with more cinnamon and applesauce instead of apples.

All in all it was still very tasty, just not what I was hoping for.

Since moving from Sequim, I have been trying to recreate this drool inducing convection on a number of occasions. I have tried a number of recipes and nothing quite did it for me.  I will be trying the following recipes on Easter Sunday for brunch. I can hardly wait! *crossing fingers*

Dutch Apple Pancake

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter
3 large Granny Smith apples (peeled, cored and cut into 1/4 inch slices)
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
5 eggs
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a large skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Saute apples until tender, 5-6 minutes. Mix together the sugar and cinnamon, reserving 1/8 cup. Pour the remaining mixture over the apples and stir until well mixed.

Spread the apple mixture into a greased 10×15 inch glass baking dish. (Note: This step can be done the night before and refrigerated. Just place the apples, uncovered, in the preheated oven for 10 minutes so they heat up.)

In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, milk and flour, mix until smooth. Pour the batter evenly over apples and place in the oven on the middle rack for 12-15 minutes, until it begins to puff and the edges start to crisp.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with reserved cinnamon and sugar mixture. Dot with remaining butter (about 1 tablespoon) and return to the oven for another 12-15 minutes or until pancake is puffed and peaked.

Best served hot with maple syrup or apple cinnamon sauce.

Apple Cinnamon Sauce

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Yield: 2 cups

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 medium apples, peeled and sliced

In a saucepan, bring brown sugar, water, butter, cornstarch and cinnamon to a boil; boil until thick (about 2 minutes), stirring frequently.

Stir in apples; cook until tender (about 10-12 minutes).

12 6-inch tortillas – corn or flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

- Brush both sides of the tortillas with oil. (I use an oil mister)
- With a pizza cutter or kitchen shears, cut each tortillas into sixths
- Spread chips in a single layer on two baking sheets
- Sprinkle with salt
- Bake for 11-15 minutes until crisp and golden brown, rotating the pan once.

I often sprinkle the tortillas with chili powder and lime juice to make things interesting.

Taco Bean Soup

1 onion, chopped (optional)
1 tsp oil (optional)
8 ounces V-8 juice
1 packet taco seasoning or equivalent spices
1 can tomatoes, diced or crushed
1 1/2 cups (15 oz can) kidney beans, rinsed
1 1/2 cups (15 oz can) pinto beans, rinsed
1 1/2 cups (15 oz can) black beans, rinsed

- Saute the onion in oil until cooked through (or mushy if desired)
- In blender or food processor, blend the kidney beans, V-8 and taco seasoning until smooth.
- Add bean mixture, tomatoes and beans to the onions and seasoning and bring to boil, stirring frequently.
- Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with hot sauce, cheese and sour cream if desired.