Brandade Potato Latkes

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Liberally coat cod with about 3 tablespoons salt on each side, and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Rinse with cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

2. Step 2

   Place cod in an 8 by 12 baking dish or jelly roll pan. Pour olive oil and milk over cod, and lay thyme sprigs and garlic on top. Cover with foil and bake until fish is just cooked and begins to flake, about 20 minutes. When fish has cooked, remove cod and reserve thyme and cooking liquid; discard garlic.

3. Step 3

   While fish cooks, place potatoes in a large pot and add cold water to cover and 2 tablespoons salt. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain well and return to pot. Place over very low heat for about 4 minutes to get rid of excess moisture. Remove from heat; mash in pot until smooth.

4. Step 4

   In a large bowl, whisk egg. Stir mashed potatoes, little by little, into egg. Add leaves (not stems) from reserved thyme. Using a fork, flake cod and fold it into mashed potatoes until well blended. If batter is too stiff, mix an extra ¼ cup to ½ cup cod cooking liquid into the remaining batter. If it does not hold together, add up to ¼ cup matzo meal. Season to taste with pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

5. Step 5

   Fill a large skillet with about ¼ inch vegetable oil, and place over medium-high heat. Using a ½ cup or ¼ cup measuring cup, measure a portion of cod-potato mixture and shape into a ½ inch thick disk. Coat disks in matzo meal or bread crumbs. Fry until golden, turning once, about 2 minutes a side. Repeat with remaining batter and drain on paper towels. To serve, reheat if necessary on a baking sheet in a 350-degree oven.