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Potato Pancakes

This fast and easy potato pancake recipe has just a few ingredients: shredded russet potatoes and onions bound together with egg and flour then fried in vegetable oil until crispy. With a cooking time of just 25 minutes and a satisfyingly crunchy, crispy, savory result, you'll want to make these classic potato pancakes for breakfast, brunch, and dinner. The addition of sliced scallions is a perfect match for a dollop of sour cream, but they're entirely optional — if prefer your potato pancakes with applesauce, feel free to omit them.

Frequently Asked Questions First, don't skip the step of wrapping the grated potatoes in a towel and squeezing out the excess liquid, since it's key to getting the right texture and helping the potatoes crisp up nicely. When it's time to fry, be sure to let the oil come up to a high heat before starting the pancakes — if the oil isn't hot enough, the potatoes will start to absorb it instead of forming that golden crust you're looking for. (Bear in mind, too, that adding pancakes to the oil will bring down the temperature. You might need to let the oil reheat between batches.) Once the potato pancakes are cooked, place them on a paper towel to soak up any excess oil, then transfer to a wire rack, which will help the underside stay nice and crunchy.

The trick to a crispy potato pancake that holds together well is to use russet potatoes, which have a high starch content. This recipe involves saving as much potato starch as possible after squeezing out the liquid from the shredded potatoes; mixing the potatoes and onions back in with the starch will bind the ingredients even more effectively than with eggs and flour alone.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen You can grate the potatoes on a box grater, but a food processor makes this recipe especially fast and easy. After wringing the moisture out of the shredded potatoes, you'll want to save as much starch as you can from the resulting liquid. The starch should separate and settle fairly quickly, making it fairly easy to pour the liquid out while saving the settled starch behind. It will help your pancakes stay cohesive and crispy. Make sure your oil is hot enough before you start frying. Wait until you can see it shimmer, then drop in a shred or two of potato as a test; if it starts bubbling immediately, the oil is ready. You can also use a candy thermometer: a frying temperature of between 350°F and 375°F is usually ideal. Make ahead If you like, you can make these potato pancakes an hour or so before serving them; hold them on a wire rack placed in a baking sheet in a 300°F oven until you are ready to eat. Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Amelia Rampe

Easy Potato Pancakes With Bacon And Chinese Sausage

Pour some of the bacon fat into four to six individual serving skillets. (Or pour off the fat from the skillet used to cook the bacon and Chinese sausage, and use it to make smaller, free-form pancakes..

Heat the pans over a medium flame (you'll need to use one burner per pancake) and when hot, divide the potato mixture between them. With dampened hands, flatten the mixture so it's of an even thickness. Pan-fry the pancakes for several minutes; when ready they will shrink back from the sides of the pan, and when you shake the pan, the pancake will slide around slightly.

Slide the pancake onto a plate then grease the skillet again. Invert the skillet over the pancake then, holding the plate firmly against the skillet, flip them over and lift the plate away, leaving the pancake cooked-side up in the pan. Cook the pancakes for several more minutes, or until heated through and nicely browned. If necessary, repeat the flipping process so the prettier side is on top.

Nothing Beats Old-fashioned Pancakes

Hearty hotcakes are just the ticket for cold winter days

Family and friends are impressed and delighted when the pan is fired up for scratch cakes. The tradition of whipping up batches of pancakes began in the Middle Ages, and is a direct result of Lent.

Versions of these round cakes in short or tall stacks are made in every part of the world and vary in thickness from the wafer-thin French Crepe to the much thicker American breakfast pancake. American pancakes are also called hotcakes, griddlecakes and flapjacks.

Many countries have specialty pancakes such as the Hungarian Palacsinta and Russian Blini.

HOW TO COOK PANCAKES

Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat or at 375 degrees about 10 minutes before cooking. Make sure the griddle is hot! Adjust the griddle's heat during cooking so you don't burn the pancakes. Sprinkle a few drops of water on griddle; if the bubbles skitter around, the heat is just right.

Then, spray the griddle lightly with cooking oil spray or lightly grease with a small amount of oiled (vegetable) paper towel. Cooking temperature is important:

* If the griddle's temperature is too low: Pancakes take longer to cook so they are dry and tough.

* If the griddle's temperature is too high: Pancakes get tough, chewy crusts and burn.

Pour the pancake batter on the griddle. Be creative with shapes: Children delight in "building" a snowman from different sized pancakes. And decorating them is simple and fun. Turn pancakes just once as soon as the pancakes puff slightly and bubbles on top just begin to break. The second side never browns as evenly as the first. Pancakes can be kept warm (and not soggy) in a single layer on a wire rack or paper towel-lined cookie sheet in a 200 degree oven.

Homemade Syrup

1-1/2 cups of brown sugar, packed

3/4 cup water

1 tbsp. Margarine or butter

1/2 tsp. Maple flavoring

pinch of salt

In a saucepan, mix the sugar, water, margarine/butter and salt. Over medium heat, heat to boiling, stirring continually. Remove from heat, then stir in the maple flavoring. Serve warm.

American

Pancake Mix

10 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups instant non-fat dry milk

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup baking powder

2 tbsp. Salt

In a suitably sized bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Store in an airtight container and use within six months.

Cranberry Pancakes

2 cups of vanilla yogurt

1 cup cranberries, chopped

1 cup yellow corn meal

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tsp. Baking soda

1/2 tsp. Baking powder

1/2 tsp. Salt

Soak the cranberries in the maple syrup for 8-12 hours.

Mix together the yogurt, corn meal, all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder and the salt.

Add the cranberry/maple syrup to the mixture and stir. Lightly grease skillet and heat to medium. Pour enough batter to make one pancake and cook, turning once.

Swedish Pancakes

1 medium egg

3/4 cup of milk

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 tbsp. Melted butter

1 tbsp. Sugar

1 tsp. Baking powder

1/4 tsp. Salt

shortening or butter

lingonberry jam

sour cream

Over medium heat, preheat griddle. In a bowl, beat the egg; then stir in the milk, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until the batter is smooth. Stir in the melted butter. Grease griddle and spoon two rounded tablespoons of batter onto griddle a few inches apart. Cook for approximately 60 seconds on each side or until golden brown. Serve immediately with lingonberry jam and sour cream. Yields 20 cakes.

Pumpkin Pancakes

1 medium egg

1 cup milk.

3/4 cup white flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1 tbsp. Sugar.

2 tsp. Baking powder

1/4 tsp. Ground cinnamon

pinch ground nutmeg

pinch ground ginger

vegetable oil

Preparation: In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients (except vegetable oil), stirring until blended. Use the vegetable oil to lightly oil a griddle; once hot, pour in the pancake batter.

Cherry Crepes

1/3 cups brown sugar

1 cup pancake mix

1 cup sour cream

1 large egg

1 cup milk

1 can cherry pie filling

Preparation: Mix the sour cream and brown sugar; set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the pancake mix, egg and milk. Heat and oil a six-inch skillet. Fry two tablespoons of pancake mixture at a time until lightly browned on both sides. Fill each crepe with some of the sour cream mixture and roll. Place each crepe seam side down in baking dish. Pour the cherry pie filling over. Bake at 350 degrees for five minutes.

Chocolate Pancakes

4 medium eggs

2 oz melted chocolate

1 cup flour

1 cup milk

3/4 cup yogurt

2 tbsp. Chocolate syrup

2 tbsp. Sugar

2 tsp. Baking powder

1 tsp. Of salt

1 tsp. Baking soda

Cooking oil. Preparation: Thoroughly mix all of the ingredients (except cooking oil) together in a bowl. Allow to stand for about five minutes. Lightly coat a frying pan or skillet with cooking oil. Heat up the pan. Pour a suitable amount of the batter into the pan and cook, turning once. Repeat until all batter is used.

Blueberry Pancakes

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup canned blueberries, with juice

1 tbsp. Sugar

1 tsp. Baking powder

1/4 tsp. Salt

1/4 tsp. Baking soda

cooking oil

Mix together dry ingredients, then add the milk and blueberries. Ladle batter onto pan to form small cakes and cook until golden, turning once.

Potato Pancakes

5 pounds potatoes, peeled

1 onion

3 eggs, beaten

2-1/2 cups pancake mix

2 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Ground black pepper

1 tbsp. Vegetable oil

Grate potatoes and onion. In a large bowl combine potatoes, onions, eggs, pancake mix, salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Spoon potatoes into skillet and cook as you would pancakes, for three to four minutes on each side.

Simple pancake shapes such as hearts are easy to make by filling an empty ketchup bottle with batter and then outlining the basic shape in the pan. Next, fill in the center. Happy faces, snowmen, balloons and other round shapes delight children. Pancakes may also be colored with food coloring.

Potato pancakes are a hearty side dish with meat or fish entrees, or all by themselves topped with sour cream. Mexican seasoning and vegetables may be added for a spicy twist.

Originally Published: January 21, 2008 at 2:54 PM CST

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