Hi friends – happy Tuesday afternoon to you!  I’m just beginning to see – now I’m on my way.  It doesn’t matter to me, chasing the clouds away…  Okay, sorry, any other fans of that Moody Blues song?  I think I nearly overdid it in high school, but right now, it is a-ok.

I love squash, well, winter squash, definitely not spaghetti or zucchini.  Though I will eat zucchini if it is in the spicy bread of summer or sliced impossibly thin and deep fried, so it isn’t actually zucchini anymore.  Otherwise it is just icky.  So often, in summer, I am drawn to a roasted vegetable salad or sandwich only to be disappointed by the fact that it contains zucchini.  I don’t care to ingest slime with my supper, thankyouverymuch.  That goes for eggplant, too, save the smoky goodness of baba ganouj.  That I could eat all day.  I really think I could.

Anyway, to winter squash – the kuri, kabocha, acorn, sugar pumpkin, delicata, hubbard, I love them all.  The only problem is my imagination.  Despite all the pretty packaging, they get a little redundant when I’m making the same few dishes over and over again.  So here is a little something different and mighty good.  When I told the hubster what I was making and his response was just ho-hum, let me tell you that it went off the charts once he tasted them, more like inhaled.  Yep.  I don’t think he’ll mind these coming up in the rotation in the near future, no sirree.

The pancake part is adapted from the Big Book of Vegetarian, the sauce is my own idea, the veritable cherry on top.

Squash and Potato Pancakes

2 cups grated russet potatoes (good and starchy to hold it all together)

2 cups grated winter squash (I used kuri, but delicata, butternut, kabocha, or acorn would work well, too)

1/2 cup grated onion

2 teaspoons salt

1 egg

3 tablespoons whole wheat flour

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon dried sage or 1 tablespoon fresh chopped leaves

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

oil for the pan

Sauce

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon curry powder

generous pinch of salt (I used my favorite alder smoked sea salt)

If you have a food processor, I definitely recommend grating the potato, squash, and onion with it, otherwise your hand is going to ache.  The voice of experience is speaking here.  Place grated potato, squash, and onion in a colander.  Sprinkle with salt and toss to combine.  Allow to sit for about fifteen minutes, squeezing out as much of the moisture as you can.  In a medium bowl, beat the egg with the sage, pepper, and nutmeg.  Gradually add the flour, so there are no lumps.  Add the potato mixture.  It will be kind of dry.  If you’d like a more moist pancake, add some milk, but as is, it will be firm, crispy, and yummy good.

Heat a griddle or skillet and oil it generously.  Spoon the desired amount of batter and flatten as best you can, so it cooks evenly.  I made mine about 3″ across and got ten of them.  Flip over once browned to cook the other side.  It’s a pancake.  You know what to do.  Unless you have a giant griddle, or are making tiny pancakes (great for appetizers!), place pancakes in a 200 degree oven to keep warm. While everything is sizzling or staying cozy in the oven, place the maple syrup, salt, curry powder, and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Stir until the butter is melted and well combined with the other ingredients.  Drizzle over the pancakes and eat right away.  You won’t regret it!

You could also serve these with Greek yogurt or sour cream.  Oh golly, my mouth is watering just thinking about it.  Enjoy!