Sunchoke Latkes

I've always had trouble, the time or two in the past I've made latkes. Whether this is due to the fact that Ener-G egg replacer doesn't bind as well as real egg, or due to my impatience in flipping the patties too quickly in the skillet, I'm not sure. Either way, I wish these had come out a little crisper, and a little browner.

I still wanted to try them, however, because of the intriguing sunchoke ingredient. Sunchokes (also known as Jerusalem artichokes), are not in the artichoke family at all, but are tubers. They look a bit like ginger, taste a bit like water chestnut, and I was utterly intrigued since it's not too often that I get to try a vegetable I've never eaten before!

To make these latkes, you'll need to peel and shred 1 and 1/2 pounds of sunchokes. They can be quite small, so I found the peeling to be a bit time-consuming. Rather than shredding by hand with a grater, I shredded them quickly in my food processor (so actually, they were maybe more 'diced' than shredded, which might account for some of my latke difficulty, too...)

Combine the shredded sunchokes in a large bowl with 1 pound peeled and shredded baking potato (these I did shred by hand) and 1 large peeled and shredded carrot (this I did in the food processor).

Lightly spoon 1/3 cup all-purpose flour into a measuring cup and level with a knife. Add to the shredded vegetables, along with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. black pepper; toss to combine. Add the equivalent of 2 eggs using egg replacer (such as Ener-G), and stir just until combined.

Heat 1 tablespoon plus 3/4 tsp. olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Using about 1/4 cup per pattie, form 9 latkes and place in the pan. Cook for 3 minutes on each side (I jumped the gun and was closer to 2 minutes per side). Remove from pan.

Repeat the process with an additional tablespoon plus 3/4 tsp. olive oil and an additional 9 latkes.

(Note: my skillet was cramped with only 8 latkes per round, so I cooked the last 2 in a final batch).

3 latkes plus about a tablespoon of vegan sour cream (such as Tofutti's Better Than Sour Cream) make a little nosh of 220 calories.

Cost:
sunchokes $8.28
baking potato $2.31
carrot $0.15