These fiesta latkes, are spicy, delicious and colorfully festive.  You can accompany them with that good old sour cream and applesauce, or you can do what we did, by accompanying them with a sweet and spicy Jalapeño jelly, or  a schmear of refried beans!

Fiesta Latkes

• 3 Russet potatoes peeled and quartered
• 1 carrot peeled
• 1 zucchini
• 1 onion peeled and quartered
• 1 Serrano chilli pepper finely minced
• 1 garlic clove mashed
• 1/3 cup parsley
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup corn flour – Masa Harina (all-purpose flour or matzoh meal are o.k. too)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves (optional)
• Canola or olive oil as needed for frying the latkes

Blanche the potatoes and the carrot in boiling water for three minutes, remove from water and allow them to cool.  Once cool, shred them in a food processor along with the zucchini and onion.  Transfer mixture to a medium-sized mixing bowl.

Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well and allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes.

Pour about ¼ cup of oil into a frying pan and heat well.  Take about ¼ cup measurements of mixture and place one by one in the hot oil, flattening out each latke with the back of a spatula.  It will take about 5 minutes for the latkes to brown, then turn them over and brown them on the opposite side.  As each latke is ready remove it to a baking pan lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil.

Serve the latkes while still warm.  They may be accompanied by applesauce and or sour cream.  We accompanied them with Jalapeño jelly from the farmer’s market and Crema Mexicana, a delicious Mexican style cream.

This recipe makes about 2 dozen latkes.