Photo: Alanna Hale

EVAN: Growing up, every other Sunday we would go to my grandma’s house in Queens for family dinner and she would make the traditional Austrian meal of sauerbraten and potato pancakes. I have early memories of all the butter and applesauce she served it with. It was heaven.

SARAH: Your mom cooked that exact meal when my family came out to meet them for the first time in New Jersey.

EVAN: Throughout my career I’ve always wanted to revisit those flavors and memories, and I think we finally nailed it with this recipe, but we took it in a savory direction.

SARAH: The apricot ties the old-fashioned recipe to the Rich Table mood. Just don’t skimp on the butter when cooking the pancakes.

Sweet Potato Pancakes with Dried Apricot Salsa Verde and Sprouted Broccoli

Author: Evan and Sara Rich
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 2 hours
Yield: 4 servings
Category: Main course
Cuisine: California

Description

We like to use Blenheim apricots because they’re sweet-tart. It won’t be easy, but try not to eat all the salsa verde before you cook the pancakes. Any extra will be great on steaks, sandwiches, and lots of other things.

Ingredients

Apricot Salsa Verde

1/2 cup [80 g] chopped dried apricots

8 garlic cloves, chopped

1 large shallot, chopped

4 packed cups [80 g] baby arugula

1¹/₄ packed cups [25 g] fresh parsley

3/4 cup [180 ml] extra-virgin olive oil

Salt

Sweet Potato Chips and Pancakes

6 to 8 cups [1.4 to 1.9 L] vegetable oil, for frying

3 sweet potatoes, about 1 1/2 lb [680 g], peeled

Salt

1 tsp cream of tartar

1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tsp [40 g] Wondra flour

1 large egg, beaten

4 to 5 Tbsp [55 to 70 g] unsalted butter

1 bunch sprouted broccoli or broccolini, florets broken into small pieces and stems sliced into strips about 1/4 in [6 mm] wide 1 to 2 Tbsp [15 to 30 g]

Crème fraîche, for serving

Instructions

To make the apricot salsa verde: In a food processor, process the apricots, garlic, and shallot until minced, about 15 seconds. Add the arugula and parsley, in batches if necessary, and process until finely minced, about 15 seconds. With the food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil. Season with salt. (The salsa verde can be made ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 hours before serving; if stored overnight, it will lose its bright green color.)

Sweet Potato Pancakes with Dried Apricot Salsa Verde and Sprouted Broccoli (continued)

To make the sweet potato chips:

Preheat the oven to 200°F [95°C]. Place a large serving plate or rimmed baking sheet in the oven.

In a Dutch oven or other deep, heavy-bottomed pot, pour the oil to a depth of about 2 in [5 cm]. Place the pot over medium heat and heat the oil to 350°F [180°C]. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.

While the oil is heating, thinly slice one sweet potato into rounds about 1/16 in [2 mm] thick. Fry the potato slices in batches in the hot oil until crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the fried chips to the paper towel–lined sheet and immediately season with salt. Repeat with the remaining potato slices, bringing the oil back to 350°F [180°C] after each batch.

To make the sweet potato pancakes:

Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the remaining two sweet potatoes and place in a large bowl. Toss the sweet potatoes with the cream of tartar and 11/2 tsp salt. Fold in the Wondra flour and the egg until just combined.

Heat 2 Tbsp [30 g] of the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. When the butter is foamy, scoop about 1/3 cup [60 g] of the sweet potato batter into the skillet and, using a spatula, press down to form a pancake about 1/4 in [6 mm] thick. Repeat to make two to three more pancakes. Cook the pancakes until golden brown on the first side, 5 to 6 minutes. Carefully flip the pancakes and cook until golden brown on the second side, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding an additional 1 tablespoon [15 g] butter before each batch. You should have eight pancakes.

While the sweet potato pancakes are cooking, prepare the sprouted broccoli:

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the sprouted broccoli and blanch just until crisp-tender, 60 to 90 seconds. Drain well.

To serve, place two pancakes on each of four serving plates. Top the pancakes with the sprouted broccoli, salsa verde, sweet potato chips, and crème fraîche.

Serve immediately.