I tasted the best German potato pancakes while visiting Guido’s family home in a quaint town nestled between Dusseldorf and Frankfurt.
The authentic German potato pancakes were prepared by Unkel Theo, in his backyard by the Rhine River, at a family gathering. He fried the pancakes till golden on the little stove in the cabin tucked in the far end of the backyard, and served them piping hot with a generous scoop of apple sauce.
The laughter and praises with each bite of the crispy pancakes are still vivid in my memory… Sadly, Unkel Theo passed away a few years ago, but his smile and kindness remain in our heart.
I never had the chance to enjoy authentic German Potato Pancakes again until Daniela, our sister in law, recently shared the family recipe… Of course, I had to make it and hope that they would make Unkel Theo proud (although they did not match his Kartoffelpfannkuchen…).
My tip is you should peel, slice and grate the potatoes and prepare the mixture right before frying the pancakes. To grate to potatoes, you can use a mandolin or a food processor (a Magic Bullet would also work). In case you wonder, the frozen shredded potatoes from the supermarket wouldn’t work for this recipe…
German Potato Pancakes
Equipment
- Food processor or mandolin, frying pan
Ingredients
- 2-1/2 lb or 1 kg Medium Potatoes, raw, peeled and grated
- 1 small onion, finely grated
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (or more if needed)
- neutral oil, to cover the frying pan
Garnish
- 1 cup apple sauce
- 1 cup sour cream or creme fraiche
Instructions
- Peel, slice and grate the raw potatoes using a mandolin, or cube the raw potatoes and grate till fine in food processor.
- Put the grated potatoes in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out as much liquid as possible
- Peel and grate the onion using a mandolin or food processor
- In a large bowl, beat the 2 eggs. Add the grated potatoes and grated onion, mix well. Add the flour and mix with a spatula. If the mixture looks too wet, add more flour. The mixture should feel gluey, not dry.
- Heat the frying pan, add oil to completely cover the surface with a thick layer. Heat oil till very hot. Scoop the potatoes mixture (1/3 cup to 1/2 cup depending on your prefered size) in the hot oil and use a spatula to flatten the potatoe mixture. Fry the pancakes till golden on both sides (about 3 to 5 minutes per side). Depending on your frying pan size, you can fry by batch of 2 to 3 potato pancakes at a time.
- Drain the pancakes on paper kitchen towel and keep warm, till you finish frying all the pancakes. Serve hot with a side of apple sauce and sour cream.
In Germany, these potato pancakes are a meal on its own. With this recipe, I have made 12 delicious golden pancakes, perfect for dinner!
For more German food, check out my Rouladen and German Roast Pork with Crackling Skin recipes.
Please leave me a comment or tag me if you try this recipe! Thank you
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Irresistible French Apple Cake with Calvados
Ja das sind richtige reinsche Reibekuchen. So lecker wie zu Hause. I like them just with the apple sauce alone.