Although Wolfgang Puck is best known for putting smoked salmon, caviar and dill-flecked crème fraîche on his designer pizzas, he also loves this trio of toppings with his exceptionally crispy potato pancakes, a dish he makes frequently when cooking at home. All three garnishes are wonderfully decadent together; still, you can leave out the smoked salmon or the caviar.
Length: 35min
Ingredients
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1/2 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
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1 teaspoon chopped dill
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1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
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Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
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1 tablespoon snipped chives
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2 medium baking potatoes (1 pound), peeled
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1 small onion
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1 large egg, lightly beaten
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2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
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1/2 teaspoon baking powder
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1/2 cup vegetable oil
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1/2 pound thinly sliced smoked salmon
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2 ounces caviar
Directions
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In a small bowl, stir the crème fraîche with the dill and lemon juice. Season with salt and black pepper and sprinkle with the chives. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
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In a food processor or on a box grater, coarsely shred the potatoes and the onion. Transfer to a large, clean kitchen towel and squeeze dry.
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In a medium bowl, mix the shredded potatoes and onion with the egg, flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper.
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In a large nonstick skillet or on a griddle, heat the vegetable oil until shimmering. Drop 2 tablespoons of the potato mixture into the skillet and flatten with the back of a spoon to make a 3-inch round. Make about 5 more pancakes and cook over moderately high heat until golden on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook until golden, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining potato mixture; you should have 12 pancakes.
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Arrange the potato pancakes on a platter. Serve warm, with the dill cream, smoked salmon and caviar.
Suggested Pairing
These crisp potato pancakes seem to hark back to Puck's Austrian heritage, so serving them with an Austrian wine feels appropriate—especially since dry Riesling's mineral and apple notes pair so well with the smoked salmon and caviar toppings.
Source: foodandwine.com
