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1
Place the orange (whole and unpeeled) in a saucepan, cover it with water, add the baking soda, cover the pot, and simmer 45 to 50 minutes. Drain, cut up, and remove any seeds. Puree orange (with peel) in a food processor.
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2
Peel the potatoes, cube, and steam 5 to 10 minutes until very tender and easily pierced with a skewer. (Or blanch potatoes 'til tender.) Mash potatoes while hot with a potato masher, not a mixer or processor. They are better if there is still some texture in them, so a few lumps are fine.
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3
Melt the butter in a large frying pan. In the hot butter, cook shallots until translucent. Add pureed orange and cook until mixture is fairly dry. Combine with potato, salt, pepper, and egg yolks.
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4
Roll the mixture into walnut-sized balls. Place 2 1/2 inches apart on baking sheet lined with nonstick-sprayed parchment paper or a Silpat. Use your palms (dipped in water) to flatten balls into discs of 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch thickness.
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Bake in 400u00b0 F oven for 10 minutes or until lightly browned and caramelized around the edges. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.
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Steaming Note: Steaming potatoes preserves their vitamins better, rather than losing nutritional value in blanching water. It is also a much faster and safer method than boiling. I use an easily-stored 2-tiered aluminum steamer with a domed lid that I found in a Chinese restaurant supply store. https://food52.com/recipes/16931-best-way-to-boil-veggies-don-t-steam-em-instead
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Notes: If you want to make these as a brunch side dish, you could also pat a 1/2-inch layer of the mixture to fill a hot oiled nonstick pan, and cook 'til bottom is browned. Flip the large cake, cook 'til bottom is browned and interior is hot, then slide out onto a platter and cut into wedges.