Baked vegan latkes

Step 1

Scrub your potatoes well - unless they have a thick, inedible skin, there is no need to peel them. Use a pairing knife to cut off/out any blemishes.

Step 2

Put prepped potatoes through a food processor fitted with a coarse grater attachment or grate them by hand.

Step 3

Place grated potatoes inside a double cheesecloth or a nut bag and allow them to rest for 10 minutes.

Step 4

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200° C / 390° F (180° C / 355° F if using fan function) and grab two metal baking trays lined with baking parchment (or a silicone mat).

Step 5

Squeeze as much moisture as you can out of the potatoes (I extracted just over ½ cup / 120 ml of liquid).

Step 6

Place dry potatoes in a mixing bowl, add diced shallot, ground flax, baking powder, rice flour, potato starch, pepper and salt. Using your hands massage dry ingredients into the potatoes. They should clump together in your hands after you are done.

Step 7

Brush a little bit of oil on the spots where you are going to be laying your latkes. Grab 3 tbsp worth of the mixture per latke, and using your hands shape the mixture into roundish patches without compressing the middle too much, you want it a bit thicker and bumpier. Tidy the edges so that they are not too scraggly as they will burn. Brush a little more oil on top of each latke.

Step 8

Bake for 10 minutes, after 10 minutes, use a spatula to transfer latkes to a plate and remove the paper/mat off the trays.

Step 9

Brush latke-sized spots of oil on the baking trays, place the latkes on them (flip them in relation to how they were before) and brush them with a little oil. Carry on baking for another 10 minutes.

Step 10

Finally, crank up the heat to 250º C / 480º F (20° C / 70° F less if using fan function), brush the latkes with a little more oil on both sides and bake for about 10-12 miuntes, until golden brown in the middle. Consume straight away.

Step 11

Soak cashews in boiling water for 20-30 minutes, drain.

Step 12

Place in a small blender or a smoothie maker (I use a Ninja), add water (or soya milk for whiter colour), a good pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon juice. Blend until smooth.

Step 13

Add a touch more water if the blender struggles - not too much as you want it as thick as possible. Taste and add more seasoning (salt & lemon juice) if needed. Refrigerate until needed.