Potato Pancakes Recipe

Are you in the mood for pancakes but you don’t want something sweet? Well, potato pancakes don’t resemble real pancakes a whole lot, but they definitely aren’t sweet and they still are called pancakes.

I love potato pancakes because they can be served at any meal. Have them for breakfast with eggs and bacon or serve them as a side dish for dinner with steak or pork chops. It’s a super versatile dish.

There are probably a million and a half different potato pancake recipes, or at least a lot. When you get the basic idea down, it’s pretty easy to customize and make your own. You can make mashed potato pancakes or find a recipe for potato pancakes that uses grated potatoes.

This is an easy potato pancake recipe that is easy to follow and whip up. It doesn’t use a leavening agent so you don’t have to worry about how you mix them or waiting for the batter to rest. In fact, potato pancakes largely resemble hash browns as some people make them.

Ingredients

5 large potatoes
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons grated onion
1 teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste
vegetable oil

Directions

Peal the potatoes and cut them into cubes. You can use just about any type of potato, but if it’s a smaller potato such as red potatoes, use more (about 2 to every 1 large). Put the cubes into the food processor and pulse until the potatoes are grated. You can also grate the potatoes on the grate attachment of your food processor, or you can grate them by hand.

Put the potatoes into a colander over the sink or in a large bowl to let the water drain out. Squeeze out as much water possible first then let it sit to drain the rest while you prepare the remainder of the ingredients.

In a large bowl, mix together the potatoes, eggs, half the flour, grated onion, salt and pepper. If the mixture isn’t thick enough, add the rest of the flour. It shouldn’t be runny.

In a frying pan or skillet, add about 1/4 inch of oil. Heat the oil over medium to medium high heat. Make sure it is hot enough. If after adding a small drop of batter it doesn’t start to sizzle right away, it’s not hot enough. If the batter sits in the oil before it starts to cook, it will be soggy with oil on the inside. Not so appetizing.

Drop about 1/4 cup of batter into the pan to form as many pancakes as will fit. Push down to spread the dough out if it stays in a ball. Cook on each side for 3 to 5 minutes until golden brown.

Remove the potato pancakes from the pan and lay on a plate with paper towels to drain the oil. If you have a lot to cook, you can keep them warm in the oven at warm off 200 degrees on a cookie sheet.

Mashed Potato Pancakes

As another variation, you can make leftover mashed potato pancakes. Instead of 5 large potatoes, use about 2 1/2 to 3 cups of cold mashed potatoes. The frying process will be closer to 3 minutes because the potatoes are already cooked. All you have to do is cook the egg, heat up the potato and fry to a golden brown.

If the mashed potato batter is too runny, add a little extra flour and/or coat in bread crumbs before frying.

New Flavors for your Potato Pancakes

Potato pancakes can have all sorts of flavor variations. Add Italian seasonings such as fresh basil, parsley, and garlic, or add onion, garlic, paprika, rosemary, etc. It’s basically a clean slate for whatever flavors you like, but the basic recipe is delicious, too.