If you’ve ever dined at the Michelin-starred Rich Table in San Francisco, you know that some dishes are the holy grail of creative dining. Porcini doughnuts. Sardine chips. That Douglas fir sourdough. Now the Riches, Sarah and Evan, have written their first cookbook, “Rich Table” (Chronicle Books, 288 pages, $35) and it’s one of our favorites recipe volumes of fall.
Summer produce — such as corn, stone fruits and watermelon — features prominently in the cookbook, but we spotted this fall gem that could easily show up at a Hanukkah latke party come December. Tempting as it may be, try not to put the dried apricot salsa verde on everything.
Rich Table’s Sweet Potato Pancakes with Dried Apricot Salsa Verde
Serves 4
Apricot Salsa Verde:
½ cup chopped dried apricots
8 garlic cloves, chopped
1 large shallot, chopped
4 packed cups baby arugula
1¼ packed cups fresh parsley
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
Sweet Potato Chips and Pancakes:
6 to 8 cups vegetable oil, for frying
3 sweet potatoes, peeled
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
¼ cup plus 1½ teaspoons Wondra flour
1 large egg, beaten
4 to 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 bunch sprouted broccoli or broccolini, florets broken into small pieces and stems sliced into ¼-inch
1 to 2 tablespoons crème fraîche, for serving
Directions:
- For apricot salsa verde: In a food processor, process the apricots, garlic and shallot until
minced, about 15 seconds. Add the arugula and parsley, in batches if necessary, and process until finely minced, about 15 seconds. With the food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil. Season with salt. (The salsa verde can be made ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 hours before serving; if stored overnight, it will lose its bright color.) - Sweet potato chips: Heat the oven to 200 degrees. Place a rimmed baking sheet in the oven.
- In a deep, heavy-bottomed pot, pour the oil to a depth of about 2 inches and heat, over medium, to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
- Thinly slice one sweet potato into rounds about 1/16-inch thick. Fry the potato slices in batches in the hot oil until crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on the paper towel–lined sheet and immediately season with salt. Repeat with the remaining potato slices, bringing the oil back to 350 degrees after each batch.
- Sweet potato pancakes: Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the remaining two
sweet potatoes. Toss the sweet potatoes with the cream of tartar and 1½ teaspoons salt. Fold in the Wondra flour and the egg until just combined. - Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. When the butter is foamy,
scoop about 1/3 cup of the sweet potato batter into the skillet and, using a spatula, press down to
form a ¼-inch thick pancake. Repeat to make two to three more pancakes. Cook the
pancakes until golden brown on the first side, 5 to 6 minutes. Carefully flip and cook until golden brown on the second side, 5 to 6 minutes. Keep warm in the oven. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding an additional 1 tablespoon butter before each batch. You should have eight pancakes. - Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the sprouted broccoli and blanch just until crisp-tender, 60 to 90 seconds. Drain well.
- To serve, place two pancakes on each plate. Top with the sprouted broccoli, salsa verde, sweet potato chips and crème fraîche. Serve immediately.
— From Sarah and Evan Rich’s “Rich Table” (Chronicle Books, 2018)