This recipe for potato pancakes falls into that wondrous category of dishes you can whip up at any time of day, any day of the year, and for virtually any occasion. More like hash browns than the style of pancake made using leftover mashed potatoes, the primary ingredient here is uncooked shredded potato that’s combined with onion, egg, and flour. The potato mixture is then formed into patties and fried until each round is crisp and golden brown.
This potato pancake recipe has quite a lot in common with one for classic potato latkes, but where latkes typically use matzo meal in place of flour and get pan-fried in oil or schmaltz, these are cooked in a mixture of oil and butter, which adds a rich dairy note to the dish. Make sure to squeeze the grated spuds to extract as much liquid as possible, but don’t rinse them. The potato starch that clings to the surface of the unrinsed potatoes helps the pancake mixture hold together.
Serve this comfort food favorite in the traditional Eastern European fashion with sour cream and applesauce, or experiment with other toppings or mix-ins to change things up: Add chopped chives for color or a dash of garlic powder for bolder flavor. Form them into scallion-potato pancake sandwiches with lox, or swap out the English muffins in a Classic Eggs Benedict for these crispy fried disks.
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Ingredients
1 medium onion, peeled
4 large Idaho or russet potatoes (about 3½ lbs.), peeled
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 Tbsp. vegetable oil
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
Applesauce and/or sour cream, for serving
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 200°F. Place 2 nonstick baking sheets in oven.
Step 2
Using box grater or food processor fitted with grating disc, coarsely grate onion and place in colander set in sink. Coarsely grate potatoes, add to colander, and set aside to drain.
Step 3
Lightly beat eggs in a large bowl, then whisk in flour.
Step 4
Press potatoes and onion to extract as much liquid as possible, then add to egg/flour mixture. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Using wooden spoon or hands, mix well, but do not overwork.
Step 5
Heat 1 Tbsp. oil and 1 Tbsp. butter in a heavy-bottomed large skillet over medium-high heat, until hot but not smoking. Drop 4 scant ¼-cup portions of potato mixture into pan and flatten with spatula to form four 3-inch pancakes.
Step 6
Fry until bottoms are golden-brown, 4 to 5 minutes, then turn over and fry until golden-brown and crisp, an additional 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain; season immediately with salt and pepper. Keep warm on baking sheets in oven while making remaining pancakes.
Step 7
Using paper towels, carefully wipe out pan. Add 1 Tbsp. oil and 1 Tbsp. butter and fry 4 more pancakes. Repeat with remaining batter, wiping out pan and adding 1 Tbsp. oil and 1 Tbsp. butter before each batch.
Step 8
Serve pancakes hot with applesauce and/or sour cream.
Editor's note: This recipe was originally published in July 2006. Head this way for more great Hanukkah food →
