Not Afraid to Fail

I am an optimist, sometimes to my own detriment, but there are times even I feel like I've failed. Today was such a day, I didn't feel like my To-Do list shrunk significantly, the laundry was forgotten in the washer the night before, the chickens were peckish but only produced 2 eggs and for dinner I 'attempted' to make potato pancakes per Paulie's request but I FAILED miserably.  What to do next? Challenge myself to persevere and keep making them in different variations until I find just the right combination of ingredients that we enjoy the flavor and is easy to make on a weeknight.

Lets examine what didn't work in tonight's attempt:

• Cooked Potatoes - NEVER Again!

• Red Potatoes - Not the right breed for a crispy pancake

• Grated Onion - a prevailing flavor vs. complimentary

• Texture - DON'T blend potatoes while hot in a blender, that was a lazy last minute decision that led to the failure

• Use an appropriate pan, I started off with my pancake griddle, seemed logical but was a failure. Then I tried a stainless frying pan, fail! Lastly I settled on the nonstick green pan (it was OK but not great)

• Season, season, season - don't leave out salt. Although we have been on a salt reduced meal plan, leaving out salt entirely out of a potato dish is a big mistake. Even a little bit would have made these taste better

• Try following a tested recipe, at least the first few times until it becomes second nature.

• Try this on a weekend rather than when everyone is hungry after work and ready to eat their own elbows if dinner is not on the table in 10 minutes

I have no idea why potato pancakes have stumped me, I am not easily derailed but these have been a challenge to say the least.

These look pretty but the griddle was not the ideal cooking surface

These were done in the green pan, a little sticking but better than the griddle and MUCH better than a stainless frying pan 

I like mine with a dollop of sour cream, Paulie with syrup, yup even for savory ones like these. I have to give him credit, he not only ate his, he even asked for seconds while I was over them even before my first bite probably because I was getting annoyed by the process. Next time I will tackle these on a weekend and will follow a tested recipe with reviews. Failed this time but have not given up.