Potato Poppers

  Posted on September 17, 2012  by Leslie Blythe  2 comments

Latke Macaroons

Last night, I attempted to make this potato recipe for dinner. I should not have done this. I was way too tired to cook and the box grater fell behind the damn twirling corner cabinet (who invented those anyway?). I spent 25 minutes trying to extract the DAMN grater using a yard stick, metal skewer, tongs, etc. The fact that kneeling on the floor is no longer a viable option for me does not help my mood (I fell on a handicap bumper in the parking lot of a dive Mexican restaurant months ago and did something terrible to my knees), thank goodness I’m not Catholic! To make a long story short, I used a mandoline to grate the potatoes. Basically, it didn’t work. Also, I burnt them! They look more like latke macaroons!  If anyone would be so kind as to test the recipe for me using the proper equipment, it would be GRATELY appreciated! (pun intended…)

Potato Poppers

Makes 24

2 large russet potatoes (about 1 lb)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbs cornstarch
½ tsp coarse salt
¼ tsp ground white pepper
1 large egg yolk
¼ cup olive oil
1½ cups panko flakes
Ketchup, for serving

Preheat oven to 425 degrees, with oven rack in center position. Place a rimmed baking sheet in oven.

Peel and grate potatoes and transfer to a large bowl. Cover by two inches with boiling water. Steep 10 minutes. Drain potatoes in a colander and rinse thoroughly with cold water. Squeeze potatoes with hands to remove excess moisture and transfer back to large bowl.

Add flour, cornstarch, salt, pepper, and egg yolk to bowl and fold into potatoes.

Spread panko on another rimmed baking sheet. With wet hands, pinch tablespoons of potato mixture, form into balls, and toss in panko.

Carefully remove hot baking sheet from oven and coat with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Quickly transfer poppers to baking sheet, drizzle with remaining olive oil, and bake for 30 minutes, flipping once, until golden brown and crispy. Serve with ketchup.