Potato Pancakes—German Style

Potato Pancakes—German Style

I have had many versions of potato pancakes, after all, they come in many shapes and sizes. When I was a kid my mom made a version from leftover mashed potatoes which we all loved. I have made them from box mixes. I have ordered them from restaurants. However, as an adult with grown-up taste buds, hands down, my favorite version came from a gourmet grocery store/deli in Canton, Michigan called Holiday Market. They were big and thick with coarsely grated potatoes and onion. Since I now live about 2,000 miles from this wonderful store I needed to learn to make them myself. I researched a few recipes, experimented, and found this version to be most like my all-time favorite version. There is nothing more satisfying to me than cooking food at home that matches something that I’ve had from a restaurant (or gourmet deli in this case). I stated “German Style” in the recipe name since I can confirm this are also just like what I tasted at German Christmas market. I’m looking forward to serving these with Glühwein (a.k.a. Gluhwein, Gluvine or Hot Mulled Spiced Wine) and brautwurst for a German-themed party some day.

Potato Pancakes – German Style  
3 lbs of potatoes, peeled and grated (yes, weigh the potatoes for accuracy either at the store or with a digital home scale)
1 large onion, grated
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (use cassava flour to be paleo friendly or gluten-free flour depending on dietary needs)
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
3 tablespoons (or more to taste) of fresh parsley
olive oil  

1) Keep peeled potatoes covered with cold water until ready to grate.

2) Either use a medium shredding blade in a food processor to grate the potatoes and onion together then dry between sheets of paper towel, or grate the potatoes with a hand held grater into another bowl of cold water.  Grate onion and set aside. Drain potatoes using a colander. Add the grated onion to the colander. Using paper towel press down to squeeze out any excess liquid, and to absorb as much moisture as possible.

3) In a large bowl combine potato/onion mixture with eggs, flour, baking powder, parsley, and salt. Mix well.

4) In one or two large skillets heat 1/8″ olive oil over medium until hot. Using 1/2 cup measuring scoop, turn out 1/2 cup mounds of potato mixture into hot pan(s), carefully flattening with spatula, and fry until crisp and golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. (My stainless steel pan cooked the pancakes almost twice as fast as my Teflon pan). Drain on paper towel and keep warm in the oven until ready to serve. Replenish oil in pans in between batches, as necessary, and repeat until all the potato mixture is gone. Pro tip: stir the mixture before scooping out the next batch.

5) Garnish with more parsley and serve with applesauce and sour cream for sides.

This recipe has no ratings just yet.

Potato Pancakes - German Style

April 5, 2009
: 12
: 15 min
: 45 min
: 1 hr
: Intermediate

By:

Ingredients
  • 3 lbs of potatoes, peeled and grated (yes, weigh the potatoes for accuracy either at the store or with a digital home scale)
  • 1 large onion, grated
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (use cassava flour to be paleo friendly or gluten-free flour depending on dietary needs)
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 3 tablespoons (or more to taste) of fresh parsley
  • olive oil
Directions
  • Step 1 Keep peeled potatoes covered with cold water until ready to grate.
  • Step 2 Either use a medium shredding blade in a food processor to grate the potatoes and onion together then dry between sheets of paper towel, or grate the potatoes with a hand held grater into another bowl of cold water.  Grate onion and set aside. Drain potatoes using a colander. Add the grated onion to the colander. Using paper towel press down to squeeze out any excess liquid, and to absorb as much moisture as possible.
  • Step 3 In a large bowl combine potato/onion mixture with eggs, flour, baking powder, parsley, and salt. Mix well.
  • Step 4 In one or two large skillets heat 1/8″ olive oil over medium until hot. Using 1/2 cup measuring scoop, turn out 1/2 cup mounds of potato mixture into hot pan(s), carefully flattening with spatula, and fry until crisp and golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. (My stainless steel pan cooked the pancakes almost twice as fast as my Teflon pan). Drain on paper towel and keep warm in the oven until ready to serve. Replenish oil in pans in between batches, as necessary, and repeat until all the potato mixture is gone. Pro tip: stir the mixture before scooping out the next batch.
  • Step 5 Garnish with more parsley and serve with applesauce and sour cream for sides.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


Verified by MonsterInsights