Potato Pancakes
Homemade potato pancakes are a classic comfort food that is easy to make and oh-so-delicious. These pancakes are made with grated potatoes, onion, egg, and flour, and are fried until golden brown. They are perfect for a quick and easy breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Homemade potato pancakes are a classic comfort food that is easy to make and oh-so-delicious. These pancakes are made with grated potatoes, onion, egg, and flour, and are fried until golden brown. They are perfect for a quick and easy breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
- Carbohydrate 28.5270152786066 g
- Cholesterol 31.02 mg
- Fat 49.3459193465191 g
- Fiber 3.51334035550259 g
- Protein 4.25319375011045 g
- Saturated Fat 3.84411381490678 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (219g)
- Sodium 52.6051389030719 mg
- Sugar 25.0136749231041 g
- Trans Fat 0.752304059457517 g
- Calories 565 calories
Step-by-step
- Finely grate potatoes with onion into a large bowl. Drain off any excess liquid.
- Mix in egg, salt, and black pepper. Add enough flour to make mixture thick, about 2 to 4 tablespoons all together.
- Turn oven to low, about 200 degrees F (95 degrees C).
- Heat 1/4 inch oil in the bottom of a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Drop two or three 1/4 cup mounds into hot oil, and flatten to make 1/2 inch thick pancakes. Fry, turning once, until golden brown. Transfer to paper towel lined plates to drain, and keep warm in low oven until serving time. Repeat until all potato mixture is used.
Raw potatoes contain a surprising amount of water that recipes rarely warn you about, meaning the difference between a shattering crust and a soggy disappointment comes down entirely to how aggressively you extract that liquid after grating. While four large potatoes seem manageable on paper, shredding them along with an entire yellow onion yields a massive volume of moisture that will violently splatter your frying oil if introduced unchecked. Scaling this recipe down to two potatoes is straightforward when cooking for one or two people, provided you halve the egg by beating it first and pouring off half a tablespoon rather than trying to guess a fraction of a whole yolk. Conversely, doubling the batch requires working in multiple smaller skillet loads rather than crowding the pan, because dropping too many cold mounds into the oil at once causes the temperature to plummet below the crucial 350 degrees Fahrenheit threshold required for proper frying.
Managing Starch and Substitutions
Flour acts as the primary binder here, absorbing residual starches released during the grating process and holding the shreds together under direct heat. Replacing all-purpose flour with a gluten-free blend typically requires a one-to-one volumetric swap, though grain-free alternatives like coconut flour will absorb significantly more liquid and create a dense, dry interior unless you reduce the total quantity by half. Always maintain the high heat specified in the instructions, as a medium-low burner will cause the oil to saturate the potato starch before the exterior can turn amber and crisp.
- If the grated mixture appears watery at the bottom of the bowl after ten minutes, press it through a clean cheesecloth to wring out excess moisture before adding the flour.
- Keep finished batches warm on a wire rack set inside a 200 degrees Fahrenheit oven rather than stacking them on paper towels, which traps steam and softens the crispy crust.
- Discard the frying oil if it darkens significantly between batches, as burned onion particles trapped in the fat will impart a bitter taste to subsequent pancakes.
