Deluxe smoked salmon latkes with dill crème fraîche

Superbly crispy, these potato pancake fritters provide a wonderful base for Deluxe smoked salmon. TIP: The top layer and end pieces of smoked salmon are much saltier and smokier because the salt draws out moisture during the curing process.

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Peel and trim the onion. Scrub the potatoes (there’s no need to peel them). Cut the onion and potatoes into quarters lengthways and coarsely grate them using a food processor’s grating attachment, if possible, or grate by hand.

Step 2

Taking a handful of the mixture at a time, firmly squeeze over a bowl to extract the excess liquid, then drop into the centre of a clean tea towel, repeating until all the veg has been squeezed. Set the bowl of liquid aside to allow the potato starch to drop to the bottom. Gather up the corners of the tea towel, then twist and squeeze to remove any further liquid. This two-step process is key to getting crisp latkes that hold together well.

Step 3

Tip the now-dry potatoes and onions into a large bowl and mix in the flour, baking powder and salt. Beat the egg and add to the mixture with some ground black pepper. Take the bowl of squeezed liquid; the potato starch will have settled in quite a firm layer at the bottom. Pour off the liquid, then scrape the starch into the grated veg and mix well.

Step 4

Pour the oil into a large frying pan to a depth of about 1cm. Drop in a couple of potato strands to test the temperature; if they start to sizzle immediately, it’s ready. Take a small handful of the potato mixture for each latke and press into a flat disc with ragged edges. Carefully drop into the hot oil and fry for 3-4 minutes on each side over a medium heat, until crisp and golden brown; don’t have the oil too hot or they’ll burn before cooking through. You should be able to cook about 6 latkes at a time and get at least 12 from the mixture.

Step 5

When the latkes are ready, transfer to a tray lined with kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil. Keep warm while you cook the rest.

Step 6

For the crème fraîche, finely grate the zest from the lemon and roughly chop the dill fronds. Stir half of these into the crème fraîche along with some seasoning, and squeeze in the juice of half the lemon.

Step 7

Top each latke with a spoonful of the herby crème fraîche, scatter with the extra zest and dill, and place a piece of folded smoked salmon on top. Serve immediately