German Potato Pancakes
Kartoffelpfannkuchen, or, German potato pancakes, is a simple traditional dish that makes for an easy, frugal meal. All you need are a handful of ingredients, a food processor and hot skillet!
Equipment
- Food Processor
- 12" Skillet
Ingredients
- 3 lbs potatoes ie. Yukon Gold, Russet, red potatoes, etc.
- 1 onion
- 1 cup flour
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 3-4 tbsp cooking oil ie. avocado, refined coconut, beef tallow, duck fat, etc.
Instructions
- Peel and quarter the potatoes and onion*
- Run the onion through the food processor with the blade until it's reduced to a pulp. You may need to scrape the bowl down once or twice.
- Transfer the onion pulp to a mixing bowl and process the potatoes in two batches until they're a foamy pulp, like the onion.
- Scrape the potatoes into a cheesecloth-lined sieve or nut milk bag* and squeeze them until most of the water has run out. This may take a couple of minutes and the water will be brown, so don't be alarmed!
- Add the squeezed potatoes to the bowl with the onion and add the remaining ingredients, save the oil.
- Mix the batter. If it feels too wet, add more flour. When you're able to form a pancake with your hands and it holds its shape, it's ready.
- Heat the skillet. When the oil is hot, form the patties one-by-one. You may want to keep a small bowl of water handy to wet your hands in between patties.
- When the edges are crisp and golden, flip the pancakes. It takes a couple of minutes per side.
- Serve hot with ketchup, aioli, apple sauce, or your preferred condiment of choice.
Notes
*To reduce waste and stretch your ingredients, preheat the oven to 400ºF/205ºC. Toss the potatoes in olive oil, salt, pepper, and whatever herbs and spices you'd like. Roast for 20-25 minutes, stirring them around half way through. This makes for an easy appetizer or snack! As for the onion, toss that into a ziplock bag and store it in the freezer for homemade stock.
- If you wish to peel and quarter the potatoes in advance, store them in cold water and stow them away in the fridge for a day or two until ready to use.