Hanukkah on the Hacienda

More dinner improv, courtesy of Aldi's. Seriously, I feel like every night is a Top Chef challenge: Here's a bunch of random ingredients...now, make it work! (errr...that's Project Runway, I know) You have approximately 45 minutes before your husband starts dialing for pizza. Good luck - we'll see you at the judging -whoops, I mean dinner - table!

Last night's mad science experiment was inspried by a glut of quesadilla fillings but the absence of any tortillas. How to "seal the deal"? Glad you asked. With spicy potato pancakes, (not-so) obviously!

I went into this recipe with very low expectations. My previous attempts at potato pancakes had been less-than-stellar. They never seemed to come together or brown-up very well and I was left with a pile of warm, mushy spuds. But I did a little reading before I hit the kitchen and discovered where my previous errors had shown their ugly little faces and marched me straight into failure. By adding a few tablespoons of flour to my egg and potato mixture, I got the "glue" to hold my pancake together. I'm sure (the three) people out there reading this are like, "duh" but I guess I thought the starch from the potatoes should have done the job.

Next time I make this, I'm going to try using less oil but I really don't know if it's possible. I blotted the cakes between paper towels before I threw on the filling and that seemed to cut down on the grease. Now, if I could figure out a way to bake them...hmmm....

This made two pretty large quesadillas. I had half a quesadilla leftover for lunch today - it held up okay in the fridge and during re-heating.

Here's the dilly-o:

Spicy Potato Pancake Quesadillas

1 package pre-cut hash browns (I threw away the bag before I could get the weight/volume on this, sorry!)

1 and 1/2 Tbs cajun seasoning (approximate)

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp onion powder

salt & pepper

2 eggs

4 Tbs flour

Canola oil (for frying)

Quesadilla fillings of your choice (we used refried beans, Mexican crumbling cheese, peppers, onions and avocado)

Salsa

Sour Cream

Hot Sauce (optional, of course)

Pre-heat oven to 275 degrees and place a lightly-greased 9 x 13 baking dish in the oven while it comes to temperature.

Combine potatoes and spices (through salt and pepper) in a large bowl until the potatoes are evenly coated. Add the eggs and mix until the egg has coated the spicy potato mixture, then add the flour, one tablespoon at a time.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet - use just enough to completely cover the bottom of the pan - over medium heat. Get it good and hot but not to the point where it's popping and sputtering...though it will inevitably happen later...

Divide the potato mixture into four balls of equal size. Smush the first one down to make a puck/patty shape and gently drop into the oil. Use a wide spatula to flatten and thin the potato mixture into a pancake, about 4 inches wide and 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Brown in the oil for about 5 minutes, then (CAREFULLY!) flip to brown the other side. The first pancake will probably take longer than the subsequent cakes. Make sure you get them nice and crispy!

When the pancake is done, transfer to the warmed baking dish and repeat the cooking process with the remaining three balls of potato mixture. When the last pancake comes out of the oil, turn off the burner and transfer the prepared cakes to a plate. Layer with paper towels to remove excess oil from the cakes. Wipe out skillet with a paper towel (I hold the paper towel with tongs).

Place one cake in the warm skillet, top with the fillings of your choice and place another cake on top. Squish it all down a little with your spatula and cover for a few minutes to let everything melt together.

Top with salsa and/or sour cream and/or hot sauce and chow down!