Zucchini to the Rescue

Tonight I cleaned out the fridge and slowly discovered we had nothing for dinner....or so I thought. Upon closer inspection and a vague recollection of a blog post I had read earlier in the day, I collected the ingredients for zucchini latkes. Fortunately, I had most of what the recipe called for and improvised the rest. They turned out great and I topped them with plain yogurt and/or apple sauce and served them alongside sliced right-off-the-vine tomatoes from our backyard. Perfect last day of summer meal.

Here is the recipe:

Zucchini Latkes
Adapted from SmittenKitchen.com
Makes about 4 dozen 1 1/2-inch latkes
1 pound medium zucchini
1 large baking potato (3/4 pound), peeled
1 small onion (4 ounces), peeled
1/2 cup matzo meal (I used breadcrumbs)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (I used lime juice, because I had no lemon)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Vegetable oil, for frying (I used olive oil)
1. Halve the zucchini crosswise. Cut the zucchini flesh off the seedy center and coarsely grate it in a food processor. Or grate it on a box grater until you reach the seedy center. Discard the center. In a food processor or on a box grater, coarsely grate the potato and onion. Transfer the grated zucchini, potato and onion to a colander and squeeze dry. Let stand for 2 minutes, then squeeze again. Transfer the vegetable mixture to a large bowl. Add the matzo meal, egg, lemon juice, salt and pepper and stir to combine.
2. In a medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil until shimmering. Drop packed teaspoons of the zucchini mixture into the skillet and flatten them with the back of a spoon. Cook the latkes over moderately high heat until the edges are golden, about 1 1/2 minutes; flip and cook until golden on the bottom, about 1 minute. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining zucchini mixture, adding more oil to the skillet as needed.
Do ahead: The fried latkes can be kept at room temperature for up to 4 hours. Reheat them on a dark baking sheet in a 375°F oven for about 5 minutes, or until warmed through and crisp.