Zucchini potato pancakes

If you're growing zucchini, by the end of July you can start to get a bit overwhelmed by the bounty. What to do with 10lbs of zucchini a day!?!

Well this recipe can’t entirely solve your problem, but it is a delicious step in the right direction. These shredded potato and zucchini pancakes are a lovely side, and when crispy fried in butter and topped with thick sour cream, you almost hope zucchini season would never end.

The secret to a good shredded vegetable pancake is to get as much water out of the vegetables as possible prior to frying. Residual water in the vegetables will come out when frying, form steam, and lessen the probability of a crispy and golden brown crust. It is easy to squish the water out though, simply grate the vegetables, and then squeeze them out a hard as you can wrapped inside a dishtowel. A lot of water will come out, and keep squeezing until you can't seem to get any further water from the vegetables.

Zucchini potato pancakes

1 medium zucchini

1 big russet or baking potato (you want the amount of potato and zucchini to be approximately equal)

1 egg

½ tsp salt

Sour cream or sour yoghurt for serving

Chopped chives (are very nice on top!)

Grate the potato and zucchini, and squeeze out as much water as possible, as described above. Mix with one beaten egg, and the salt, and let sit while you bring your pan up over medium heat,

When ready, add a generous spoonful of butter (you could also use a neutral tasting vegetable oil here if you’d prefer) and let melt.

Add the potato mixture to the pan with a spoon, and form pancakes of the desired size. Don’t worry about trying to form them before you add to the pan, just plop the mixture in with a spoon, and then flatten it out once in the pan. Thinner pancakes are tastier than thicker, and also cook more easily, with less chance of burning.

Keep frying for about 4 minutes per side, or until nicely browned and crisped. Blot and excess oil with paper towels, and serve with sour cream or yogurt, and freshly snipped chives.

Zucchini works very well in this recipe, but you can substitute other combos if you'd prefer, and as the seasons change (Potato/carrot, potato/sweet potato etc).

On the side or on their own, these crunchy brown zucchini potato pancakes are always delicious!