Potato Pancakes with Crispy Chorizo, Pear, and Cream

Directions

1. Make the pear sauce: put the diced pear in a small frying pan along with a couple of tablespoons of water. Cover, set over medium heat, and cook until a knife inserted into a pear cube slides out easily, about 5 minutes. Puree the cooked pear with a food mill or mash it with a potato masher. Set aside.
2. Fry the chorizo and make the chorizo oil: Heat the olive oil in a skillet (cast iron if you've got one) over medium heat. Add the diced chorizo and cook, stirring frequently, until the chorizo is crispy. Remove the chorizo with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate. Pour the oil into a small heat safe bowl (you will use this to fry the potato pancakes).
3. Make the potato pancakes: put the grated onion and potatoes in a kitchen towel and squeeze the water out as best you can. Set it down for a few minutes and then squeeze the water out again. Put the drained potato and onion in a medium bowl, add the flour, egg, salt, and pepper, and mix with your hands until the flour and egg are evenly incorporated.
4. Measure two tablespoons of the chorizo-y olive oil into the skillet you used to fry the chorizo and heat over medium. Using a small portion scoop or rounded tablespoon, scoop bite-sized mounds of the potato pancake mixture into the skillet and flatten lightly. Cook six small pancakes at a time, flipping with a thin offset spatula, until golden and crispy on both sides. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with the remaining pancakes, adding an additional 2 tablespoons of oil to the skillet for each new batch. Note: at this point you can keep the pancakes warm in a low oven for an hour or so, or you can refrigerate them on a baking sheet and then reheat in a 400 degree oven when your quests arrive.
5. Assemble the snacks: Top each potato pancake with a small dollop (about 1/2 tsp) of sour cream, a small dollop of the pear puree, a smattering of crispy chorizo cubes, and finally a few whole fresh thyme leaves. Enjoy!