Potato Pancakes With Smoked Salmon, Caviar and Dill Cream

Recipe by Wolfgang Puck who is best known for putting smoked salmon, caviar and dill-flecked crème fraîche on his designer pizzas, he also loves this trio of toppings with his exceptionally crispy potato pancakes, a dish he makes frequently when cooking at home. All three garnishes are wonderfully decadent together; still, you can leave out the smoked salmon or the caviar. From: Wolfgang Puck's Home Cooking, Best Recipes of 2007. Starters and Hors d'Oeuvres, Pairing of the Day, August 2008, Published August 2007. Pairing Suggestion:These crisp potato pancakes seem to hark back to Puck's Austrian heritage, so serving them with an Austrian wine feels appropriate—especially since dry Riesling's mineral and apple notes pair so well with the smoked salmon and caviar toppings. Look for the herbal 2005 Loimer Langenlois Terrassen or the citrus-inflected 2006 Stadt Krems Grillenparz. These can be dressed up or otherwise - such as at a brunch with Champagne :) or Champagne Punch for New Year's Day or you can serve them at a Cocktail Party. I love these, that goes without saying! ;)

• Ready In: 35 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup creme fraiche or 1⁄2 cup sour cream
• 1  teaspoon  chopped dill
• 1  teaspoon fresh lemon juice
•  kosher salt
•  fresh ground black pepper
• 1  tablespoon  snipped chives
• 2  medium baking potatoes, peeled (1 pound)
• 1  small onion
• 1  large egg, lightly beaten
• 2  tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄2 cup  vegetable oil
• 1⁄2 lb  thinly sliced smoked salmon
• 2  ounces  caviar

Directions

1. In a small bowl, stir the creme fraiche with the dill and lemon juice.
2. Season with salt and black pepper and sprinkle with the chives.
3. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
4. In a food processor or on a box grater, coarsely shred the potatoes and the onion.
5. Transfer to a large, clean kitchen towel and squeeze dry.
6. In a medium bowl, mix the shredded potatoes and onion with the egg, flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper.
7. In a large nonstick skillet or on a griddle, heat the vegetable oil until shimmering.
8. Drop 2 tablespoons of the potato mixture into the skillet and flatten with the back of a spoon to make a 3-inch round.
9. Make about 5 more pancakes and cook over moderately high heat until golden on the bottom, about 4 minutes.
10. Flip the pancakes and cook until golden, about 2 minutes longer.
11. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
12. Repeat with the remaining potato mixture; you should have 12 pancakes.
13. Arrange the potato pancakes on a platter.
14. Serve warm, with the dill cream, smoked salmon and caviar.