Silver Dollar Sweet Potato Pancakes for Calder

Directions

1. Trim one end of your onion. Coarsely grate onion into a colander set over a pie plate. I had about 1/3 cup, packed. Use a potato masher or wooden spoon and press down on the onion to release as much liquid as possible.
2. Trim one end of your Okinawan sweet potato. Use a vegetable peeler to remove skin and discard. Coarsely grate into colander with onion and watch the beautiful purple-white flesh oxidize to grey-brown (no matter, it will still be delicious). I got 2 ½ cups.
3. Repeat with the carrot. Peel, trim, grate. I got 1 cup.
4. Press down on grated vegetables with masher or spoon. Wrap grated vegetables in a paper towel and lightly squeeze to remove additional liquid.
5. Add a good pinch of sea salt, beaten egg, rice flour, chopped chives and black pepper. Stir to combine. Mixture should be sticky, just holding together.
6. Since you want to eat these hot, now is a good time to make your spiced crème fraiche. Mix crème fraiche, squeeze of lime (about ½ t), and chipotle sauce in a bowl. Add salt to taste. Set aside.
7. In a large, heavy skillet, heat oil until it shimmers over medium heat. You only want enough to coat the bottom when the pan is hot (about 2 T for a 12-inch skillet). Have a plate lined with paper towels ready near your skillet.
8. Working in batches, drop heaping tablespoons of the mixture into the hot skillet. Immediately invert tablespoon and *gently* press down on the top of the mixture to slightly flatten and make a silver dollar sized pancake. I was able to cook seven or eight in my skillet at a time. Cook about two minutes a side, carefully flipping, until crisp and browned. Since these do not have a lot of binding, I found that a fork worked best for this. Allow cooked pancakes to drain on lined plate. Repeat until finished, although send hot, drained pancakes to the table to be enjoyed while still hot. Serve with a dollop or two of spiced crème fraiche.