They're also not even remotely low carb.
Fortunately, we live in the ninnynet age. Fueled by continuous and compounding cravings and aided by the Google machine, I found a recipe that, with a few alterations, produces drop dead knockoff potato pancakes:
3 chayotes
1/2 large onion
3 eggs, beaten
1.5 teaspoons garlic salt
1/2 cup flax meal
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Oil for frying
Peel and quarter the chayotes. Remove the seed and coarsely grate. Allow to rest and drain in a colander for 10 minutes. Heat your oil of choice (or fat - I use lard for the extra flavor it lends) to 375 degrees.
Peel and grate the onion, place in a large bowl. Add the salt, flax meal, parmesan, and baking powder; mix well. Place the chayote in a clean tea towel and wring it to extract as much liquid as possible. Add to the bowl and toss with the egg mixture. Add to the hot oil, a quarter cup per pancake, and fry until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels.
If your reaction is 'WTF is a chayote?', join the club. I've seen them in the produce section, but have never encountered a recipe using them before and I knew only two things about them: 1) they're green and 2) they're sorta gnarly looking. Chayotes, it turns out, are members of the squash family. They're native to Mexico, are now grown worldwide, and in this hemisphere are especially popular in Latin American and Caribbean dishes. They're also fabulous for low carbing: a full cup of diced chayote is only 25 calories and about 3 grams of net carbs. The mild flavor works well as a substitute for starchier vegetables.
