I’ve finally reverse engineered my Grandmother’s potato pancake recipe. Not that it’s that difficult; quite the contrary, it’s simple. The problem is each failed attempt makes it necessary to wait a bit longer on the next attempt because no one wants to eat them. Then, they’ve got a reputation for not being so good and no one’s willing to take a bite.
I knew I finally got it when I gave the Wife her serving and she stated “Wow, these are actually really good.” Score one for me. Also, I’m thinking the Sister will be most interested in this particular post, since of all us siblings, she enjoyed Grandma’s potato pancakes the most.
The ingredients and equipment:
- 3 or 4 russet potatoes for a batch. This will yield 6-7 pancakes, depending on size.
- 2 tbsp’s kosher salt
- 1 tbsp white flour
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 large egg pre batch
- A grater for the potatoes, a large mixing bowl, a fork, a large skillet (preferably cast iron) and vegetable oil
Pour about 1/8″ deep worth of vegetable oil into the skillet and starting heating it. Try to control it around 350 degrees or so.
Clean the potatoes and grate them into the mixing bowl. When the grated volume hits about 3-4 cups, that’s enough. Add the salt, onion powder and garlic powder and mix together with a fork. Then, crack the egg into the bowl and mix it in. Finally, add the flour and mix it in.
Drop enough of the potato mixture into the skillet and gently tamp it down to form a roughly 3 inch patty. I was able to fit 3 such patty’s in my skillet, a 12″ cast iron one. Wait until you see noticeable browning on the edges of the patties before flipping them. Once flipped, the second side will only take about half the time as the first to brown up. Err on the longer side (but not too much!!!) since the finished product is not nearly as enjoyable when they’re not crispy.
When done, set the patty’s aside to cool for a minute or two. Add a little ketchup or Ranch dressing before inhaling.
Note that it’s important to do it in the batches because a lot of fluid leaches out of the potatoes as they sit there. If you’ve got the capability to cook more at a time, then obviously you could try bigger batches. Plus, the one egg is about right for that amount of potato.