Curry Potato Pancakes with Yogurt Sauce

Each year, when my birthday would come rolling around, my mom would let me choose whatever I wanted for my birthday dinner. Since it was my birthday dinner, I also got to use the decorative plate that my grandma had made for our family that had "It's your special day!" painted along the rim of the plate in a colorful, confetti like fashion. I always thought it was such a brilliant idea that she didn't limit it to being just a birthday plate, but rather a special day plate. For Father's day, Mother's day, birthdays, you name it; the "special day" plate loudly called attention to the person of honor at the dinner table as its bright colors stood out among the average dinner plates.

But I wasn't like most children. Rather than fill my special day plate with pizza, extra cheesy macaroni, or chicken nuggets; each year for my birthday I requested my all-time favorite dinner: potato pancakes. How could they not be every child's dream? They were starchy, savory, golden goodness that I would smother in ketchup and devour in the blink of an eye. But as delicious as they were, my mother made them all of two times a year: for my birthday and for my brother's birthday (he too had a love for potato pancakes). So because of the scarcity of my beloved meal, potato pancakes quickly rose up in status from a mere "special day" dinner to rare oddity that I cherished.

As the years passed, still holding potato pancakes in high regard, I found myself living with my husband in our little apartment, craving the comforts of home cooking. And above all else, I had a hankering for, of course, potato pancakes. Now that I was older and more experienced in the kitchen, it dawned on me that I could finally learn how to make potato pancakes and have them at my disposal for whenever I pleased. --Oh the joys of being an adult!-- And so I called my mom up to get the recipe and, for the first time since moving out, I proudly sat at the table with a stack of childhood memories steaming on my plate.

With yet another leap in time, I am now a potato pancake pro, making them at least once a month for dinner. No longer do I have to wait for my birthday to enjoy one of my favorite meals. And although the words "special day" do not surface from underneath the smears of ketchup as I mop up the last few savory bites, a day with potato pancakes is still a special day to me.

However; recently, out of sheer boredom and curiosity, I decided to mess around with the recipe a bit. Since my husband and I have been on a bit of a curry kick lately, I thought it could be fun to try and create a recipe for curry potato pancakes. The result was surprisingly delectable. Although I think I will always be partial to the classic version of potato pancakes, my husband and friends raved about the new twist. My best friend, Katie, also helped me to create an amazing yogurt sauce to drizzle over the pancakes that really brought all the flavors together. I figured ketchup wouldn't taste so good with curry so I asked that she help me create a yogurt sauce that would be more suitable.

I do have one disclaimer though: the recipe below follows the technique I normally use for making potato pancakes by using shredded potatoes. When I made the curry potatoes that you will see in the picture, however, I didn't actually have any potatoes on deck so I just substituted with instant mashed potatoes. They were tasty, but not as delicious as using actual shredded potatoes. So if you want a really quick version of it, you can make them with instant mashed potatoes. But if you're really wanting the full effect of potato pancakes, you have to use actual potatoes.

Someday I promise to post the original recipe for potato pancakes that I came to love. But for now, enjoy the curry potato pancakes. They truly are unique and delicious!

Curry Potato Pancakes

Ingredients:
5 large potatoes, pealed and rinsed
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 egg
1-2 cups of instant pancake mix
1/4-1 cup of hot water (depending on how much moisture you need to reach the desired consistency for the batter)
1-2 tablespoons curry
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon crushed bay leaf
3-4 cloves garlic, crushed

Using a food processor or cheese grater, shred/grate the potatoes into small strips.

In a large bowl toss the shredded potatoes and chopped onions together.

Fold the egg in with the potatoes and onions so everything is evenly coated.

Add in the instant pancake mix one tablespoon at a time. The moisture from the eggs and the potatoes will start to moisten the pancake mix. At this point, you may not even need to add in the hot water to the mixture but this all depends on how moist the pancake batter is with the potatoes and onions. You don't want the batter to be too runny or to thick. If it seems too thick, add in hot water one tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency. Or, if your mixture is too thin, add in more instant pancake mix one tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency. I find that it's better to have the batter more thick than thin. If it's too thin, the batter will run and you'll get really thin pancakes that are hard to flip.

Mix the remaining ingredients into the batter.

Using a large skillet, coat the bottom of the skillet with a thin layer of vegetable oil or butter. Heat the pan up to medium-high heat and spoon out about 1/4 cup of batter into the pan. Cook the pancake for about 1-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown, adjusting the temperature as needed.

Serve warm.

Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients:
2 cups plain yogurt
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon dried dill
1/2-1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 dried cilantro
1/4 dried mint

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl, adjusting amounts until you reach your desired flavor. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Drizzle over hot curry potato pancakes.