Mezze: Persian Potato Pancakes

I made a cucumber yogurt dip and needed to come up with something to serve along with it. As much as I would be happy eating the dip with a spoon, that serving style doesn’t quite cut it for a family meal. In searching for a partner for the tangy, cooling yogurt dip, I stumbled upon a few Middle Eastern recipes published in Saveur magazine not too long ago and these Persian Potato Pancakes seemed to be the perfect companion. These pancakes, known as kookoo, are a bit different than traditional potato pancakes in that the potatoes are precooked and essentially mashed before being made into cakes.  All in all , these little patties were delicious on their own and even more amazing with the cucumber yogurt dip! –jacque

Ingredients

{Potato Pancakes}

5-6 large russet potatoes, unpeeled

1 1/3 cups cilantro, chopped roughly

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/8 teaspoon saffron

5 eggs

2 cloves of garlic, smashed into a paste

Kosher salt to taste

2/3 cup canola oil, for cooking

{Cucumber Yogurt Dip}

4 cucumbers, diced

1 cup yogurt {I use low-fat Greek yogurt}

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Cook the potatoes, with their skins on, for about 20 minutes. You should be able to poke them with a fork, but they should not be fully cooked. Allow potatoes to cool.

2. Once your potatoes are cool, peel them and mix them in a bowl. I use a fork to slightly mash them, leaving a few chunks here and there. Add cilantro, turmeric, saffron, eggs, garlic, and salt to the potatoes and mix until well combined.

3. Heat your cooking oil in a skillet. Spoon one tablespoon of batter at a time into the skillet and fry until golden brown on both sides. Once cooked, remove excess oil from your pancakes by allowing them to drain on paper towels.

4. Once you’ve made all of the batter into crispy delicious cakes, prepare your cucumber dip. Chop the cucumbers into small pieces and mince your garlic.

5. Add cucumbers and garlic to yogurt and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with pancakes.