Potato Cakes + Red Onion Jam + Goat Cheese Cream

Ingredients:

Potato and Parsnip Cakes with Red Onion Jam and Goat Cheese Cream

I just wanted some sort of platform for eating a lot of goat cheese. I thought potato cakes/latkes, with some red onion jam to cut the thickness of it all. These turned out really, really delicious. My potatoes turned out crisp and wonderful!

For the red onion jam:
2 bay leaves
dried (or fresh) thyme
2 medium red onions
red wine vinegar
sugar
red wine (not pictured)

For the potato cakes:
1 large russet potato
1 large or 2 medium parsnips
1 lemon
2 eggs
1/4 cup flour
parsley
salt and pepper
oil for frying

For the goat cheese cream:
4 oz good quality goat cheese (this is Laura Chenel, it's really yummy)
half and half (amount variable, but probably a few TB)

Step 1:

Start with the red onion jam. This is a great little condiment that can go alongside cheese and crackers, on burgers, sandwiches, salads, etc., plus you can make it ahead of time and it will keep well.

Finely chop your onions.

Step 2:

Over low heat, sweat them in oil until they turn translucent.

Step 3:

Add (sorry, I didn't measure) maybe a TB or two of red wine vinegar, two bay leaves, a pinch of dried thyme, a few coarse grinds of black pepper, a few teaspoons of sugar, and maybe 1/3 cup of red wine. Let it cook until most of the moisture has evaporated. Taste from time to time, and adjust seasonings as needed. When done, the onions will be a rich burgundy color and mostly soft, but still retain a slight crunch. Set aside.

Step 4:

Make your goat cheese cream by stirring up your goat cheese in a bowl with a small fork, then add, a little at a time, enough half and half to give it the consistency of sour cream. Set aside. Here's a picture of the cream (left) and regular goat cheese (right).

Step 5:

Now onto making the cakes: Grate up your russet potato coarsely into a large bowl, and rinse with water until the water is mostly clear.

Step 6:

Toss with a TB of lemon juice (to prevent browning), and using a tea towel or cheesecloth, wring out until most of the water is gone. Wipe out your bowl and add the potato back in. Grate in your parsnips, and add salt and pepper to taste, 2 eggs, 1/4 cup of flour, TB or so of fresh chopped parsley, and mix to combine.

Step 7:

Heat about 2 TB oil (with a high smoking point) in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. Place your mixture in a large measuring cup (I think I used a 1 cup here) so that it’s about 1/2" thick, patting the mixture down a bit with a fork or a spoon.

Step 8:

Turn out over the hot oil, flatten it with a spatula, and cook for about 1.5 minutes, until medium golden brown. Flip, and cook for another 1.5 minutes, then put on a plate lined with a paper towel to drain. (Sorry, no pictures of in-process cooking). Plate and serve with the goat cheese cream and red onion jam.