potato pancakes, take three

Well, actually take four or five, but this one's worth documenting.

I read a whole bunch more recipes, tried one or two, and stole ideas from them all. I think I have arrived in at least the vicinity of the potato pancakes of my dreams.

Set oven to "warm" and set up a cooling rack on a cookie sheet inside to put the early pancakes on.

Shred 12 oz (by weight) of root vegetables, of which 3/4 should be something with high moisture content, like potato or beet, in a food processor (not just to save time; this results in finer shreds) on the finest setting on a mandoline. I used 3/4 baby potatoes and 1/4 parsnip. Next time I will probably use celeriac in place of the parsnip. These potatoes did not need to be cut up first but larger ones would, to keep the shreds from being too long.

Mix in:
1-2 eggs, depending on how fine the potatoes are cut (finer shreds need more egg)
3 Tbsp flour (I did not have matzo or breadcrumbs and this recipe assumes I'm going to keep not having them)
3-4 scallions, chopped. I did 3 and wanted a little bit more.

In a 12" skillet on medium-high, heat enough oil so that with the pan flat on the stove, it does not pull back to just a coating on any part of the bottom of the skillet. I used canola oil and that was fine.

Dollop large spoonfuls of mix onto the skillet and press somewhat flat to make a 3-4" diameter, pancake. In my skillet, four of these would fit into the pan easily enough, but they cooked more evenly three at a time. Cook until golden brown, 2 minutes or a bit more per side, pressing down with the spatula after flipping to get a uniform 1/2" or 5/8" thickness. Blot dry on a paper napkin or paper towel and then put in the oven to keep warm. Remember to add more oil before the next round of pancakes.

Serve with sour cream and/or applesauce.

Makes about a dozen pancakes, nice and crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside.