The holidays are always the time of year that my family enjoys eating Potato Pancakes. Although Latkes are a traditional Hanukkah meal (the oil that they are fried in is symbolic of the oil in the Hanukkah story-where one day’s worth of oil miraculously burned for 8 days), they are also a traditional food in various parts of Europe.
Those of you who are long time blog readers will remember that Yankee Bill and I met while we were both stationed in Germany during the mid 90’s. One of our very fond memories (out of many) is attending the outdoor Christmas Festivals (Kriskindle Markts) each year. Reibekuchen or Kartoffelpuffer (potato pancakes) were a staple at these festivals, along with Gluhwein.
Photo by Alex Foster
In memory of how and where we met, every year on the night we decorate our Christmas tree, the Frugal Upstate household enjoys a simple feast of Potato Pancakes with sour cream, ketchup and applesauce, with hot mulled cider and Gluhwein. Ahh. . .
- Photo by Jeff Cushner
Potato Pancakes
Ingredients
- 3 LBS of Potatoes
- 2 Eggs
- 3 TBS Flour
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 Onion
- Oil
Instructions
-
Peel and shred the potatoes-a food processor makes this much easier, although of course a hand grater works. Squeeze as much liquid as you can out of the shredded potato.
-
Shred or mince the onion.
-
Mix potato, onion, beaten eggs, and flour.
-
Season with salt and pepper.
-
Fry in about a half inch of hot oil until golden on each side-approx 2-3 min each side.
-
Drain before serving. Can be kept warm in the oven.
Notes:
-
This recipe makes a lot of pancakes. Personally I don't think they reheat very well-so if you don't think you are going to eat that many, I'd suggest halving the recipe.
-
The trick here is to get the potato cooked all the way through. I find personally that a med-high heat seems to do better with that-as well as a fine shred on the potato. You don't want it to be golden and crispy on the outside & raw on the inside. Blech.
-
Smaller Pancakes will cook better. Try starting with heaping tablespoons and then flattening them out with the spatula.
-
Potato flesh turns from white to a nasty brown as it oxidizes. If you are not going to use the shredded potato right away, just cover them with lightly salted water. Of course when you drain make sure you squeeze out the liquid extra well before adding to the onion, egg etc.
-
Traditional "toppings" are applesauce, sour cream or ketchup.
Variations:
-
Use a mix of sweet potato & regular potato.
-
Add shredded carrots for color & flavor.
-
Have left over mashed potato? Mix that in as well.
-
Season with other spices. Old bay seasoning or Cajun seasoning would give a completely different flare
Jenn,
We love potato pancakes. I discovered them about 18 years ago, when I had been given a surplus of potatoes, and I was running out of ideas. I found them in a coolbook my former mother in law had. I usually will make them in the winter for a brunch with my family. I like the ideas of a varitation though! Good post.
I lived in Germany as an exchange student for a year. My host family added grated leeks too. Yum! Now I want to go home and make Reibekuchen.
Amyrlin-thanks! Glad to give you inspiration!
Cara-good memories! I really enjoyed my years in Germany. Do u by chance have a recipe for those thin, waffle textured cinnamon cookies they used to sell @ the Kriskindlemarkts? I loved those as well!
Yum! My great grandmother was born in Germany, and she made potato pancakes. This recipe sounds terrific, and the food processor does make shredding them much easier. I’m going to make some.
Latkes!!! Yum
Thanks, Jenn! Can’t wait to make them.
Love the ‘tradition’ of yours and Bill’s meeting…. very sweet.
Can I use hashbrowns instead of creating pototoes? I have those in my freezer right now. 🙂
Kimberly-I’m sure you could use hashbrowns-I’m just not sure if it would be better to defrost them first, or use them frozen and then turn the heat down a bit so they don’t crisp on the outside before the inside is done. . .