Crispy Traditional Potato Pancakes

This recipe took us about one and a half hours to make, including prep time.

Recipe:

2 lbs baking potatoes

1 medium onion

1 large egg-beaten

Salt and freshly ground paper to taste

Vegetable oil for frying

Instructions: (Makes about 2 dozen pancakes)

1. Peel the potatoes and put in cold water. Using a grater, grate the potatoes and onions.

2. Mix the grated potatoes and onion together. Add the egg, salt and pepper.

3. Heat a griddle or non-stick pan and coat with a thin film of vegetable oil. Take about 2 tablespoons of the potato mixture in the palm of your hand and flatten as best as you can. Place the potato mixture on the griddle, flatten with a large spatula, and fry for a few minutes while golden. Flip the pancakes over and brown the other side. Serve immediately.

Tip: You can also freeze the potato pancakes and crisp them up in a 350-degree oven at a later time.

This recipe makes the pancakes thin and crisp, just the way we like ‘em! But this is only possible if you squeeze out as much water as possible from the grated potato and omit flour or matzah meal as fillers, and gently flatten the pancakes on a very hot skillet. (Nathan, p. 259)

We actually tried cooking the pancakes a few different ways. First, we made them in a pan on the stove. Then, we put some in a baking dish and baked them in the oven. Then we made some pancakes on the George Foreman grill. It was quite the adventure! If you’re only trying to make a few pancakes (as opposed to the two dozen that this recipe makes), we found that the George Foreman grill is the easiest way to do it.

Sarah went to the store and picked up some applesauce to serve the pancakes with. The sweet apple flavor and the salty pancakes made the perfect combination.

We ended up making a tremendous amount of pancakes, so we shared them with Carter’s roommates. They certainly weren’t complaining!

Yummy!

-Sarah & Carter

(This recipe was adapted from page 259 of Joan Nathan's book "Jewish Cooking in America")