Crispy Baked Zucchini-Potato Pancakes

By cwaldron09

Making fried potato pancakes is practically a competitive sport in my family, with my dad and his brother constantly sparring for the championship. I am more than happy to judge their challenge once or twice a year, but I take comfort in knowing I can enjoy my greaseless version any time the craving hits. Making these two-bites-size allows them to crisp beautifully on the baking tray while the zucchini lightens them and adds lovely flavor and color. They are perfect as a side with roasted meat, but you can also serve them as an upscale appetizer with a dollop of creme fraiche and some caviar.

Ingredients

• Olive oil cooking spray
• 2 tspn olive oil
• 1 small onion, spiralized with the red blade
• 1 medium russet potato (about 8oz), peeled or unpeeled, spiralized with the green blade
• 1 medium zucchini (about 8oz), unpeeled, ends removed, spiralized with the green blade
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 tspn fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tspn salt
• 1/4 tspn pepper

Details

Level of difficulty Easy
Cost Budget Friendly

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Step 2

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened and golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.

Step 3

Roughly chop spiralized potato and zucchini into small pieces. Place the spiralized potato and zucchini in a kitchen towel or cheesecloth, and twist over the sink to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Transfer the zucchini and potato to a bowl. In a small bowl, beat together the eggs and egg whites to combine. Add the eggs, onion, lemon juice, flour, salt, and pepper to the zucchini-potato mixture and stir until well combined.

Step 4

Heat the prepared baking sheet in the oven for 3-5 minutes until hot, but before the oil begins to smoke. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and immediately begin to make the pancakes and place them on the tray. Use about 2 tablespoons of batter for each, forming it into a flat, 2-inch pancake. You should wind up with 16 pancakes

Step 5

Bake until the edges begin to crisp, 7-8 minutes. Remove from the oven, spray the tops of the pancakes with cooking spray, and flip the pancakes. Bake until brown and crip, about 5 minutes more. If you prefer, you can cook this batter in a waffle iron until done.