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Friday, May 1, 2009

Potato Pancakes

This is my latest fad. Fad because they can go for any meal of the day. Breakfast with some eggs over easy. Lunch with some green salad. Dinner with the pancakes as the main course and lots of sauces to dip with. Or serve them next to a grilled ribeye or barbecued chicken. You could even fancy it up a bit and have these with some smoked salmon and creme fraiche.

When it comes to dipping sauces, ketchup is a given winner. But I love sweet chile sauce. You can find it in the Asian food aisle in the grocery store.


This particular time I made these, they were for dinner in the car. We were going to be out running errands and weren't going to be home around dinner time and I hate having to spend money on fast food. So during Van's nap and Jack's self-proclaimed golf tee time in the backyard, I made these. They were good cold with a piece of fruit and some cubed cheese. Cheaper and better than fast food.



6 russet potatoes, peeled and quartered lengthwise
2 Tbsp flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp kosher salt
A few grinds black pepper
Vegetable oil for frying

With your food processor fitted with the shredding disc, shred the potatoes. Transfer to a towel, gather the sides up and twist, squeezing out as much moisture as possible.

Add the potatoes to a large mixing bowl. Add flour, egg, salt and pepper. Toss to combine.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add a tablespoon or two of the oil, just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Once the oil runs quickly in the pan, add small handfuls of the potato mixture. Flatten with a spatula. Cook until golden on the edges, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side until golden. Remove pancakes from the pan and set aside. Add a tablespoon or two to the pan and add more potato mixture. Repeat until all pancakes are cooked.

Yields 8 pancakes.

Rookie's Notes: I used a pretty large skillet when doing this, but I only did 3 pancakes at a time. The more you put in there, the lower the temperature is going to get in the pan. You want a nice golden crust on each side and the pan has to be plenty hot for that. I guess what I am trying to say is don't overload your pan. Be patient. They cook quick.

As for the oil, make sure you put some in before each batch. You will not get a golden crust without it.

If your potato mixture starts to discolor a bit while it waits for it's turn in the pan, no worries. It won't effect the taste at all and the color goes away when it's cooked.

And one more thing, if you have leftovers, great. We like them with breakfast. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add a potato pancake to the center- no oil needed. Heat it through on each side for about 2 minutes. They taste good as new as leftovers.

5 comments:

Erika said...

Whitney - These look scrumptious. Does it matter what type of potato you use? Baking? Yukon Gold? Etc.? Thanks! Erika

T&C said...

I will be making these.

{Erica} said...

we're having a farewell bbq on sunday with a few friends and it's bring your own meat and a side...this will be my side I believe :)

maybe while the cakes are still hot add some shredded cheese to the top, a dollup of sou cream and some chives? mmm.....

rabidrunner said...

I have a funny story for you... I was having an instant message conversation with a work buddie from a few years ago. He's a foodie and the designated cook in his house. At the time I was eating quinoa and told him about it. He was interested in some recipes, so I sent him the link to your Hunter Braised Chicken with Buttered Quinoa (fabulous by the way).

After reading the recipe, he asked "Do you frequent this Russian girl's web site often?" He calls you the Ruskie Cookie. Very funny.

Which brings to light an interesting question, what's Russian cuisine like?

Gina said...

I was just putting together my menu and thinking I'd like to use my bag of potatoes that has gone untouched but not wanting to fall back on mashed potatoes, I was coming up blank on ideas. Thanks!