German Potato Pancakes - Kartoffelpuffer
Authentic recipe for German potato pancakes (Kartoffelpuffer) - crispy, golden discs of fried grated potatoes with a soft inside. Popular snack at beer gardens and folk fests they also double as a side for roasts and brats. Yield is about 8-10 pancakes, depending on size.
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Servings: 4
Calories: 294kcal
Ingredients
- 2 lbs starchy potatoes such as Russet (see substitute suggestion in notes)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon corn or potato starch use if you do not intend to use the starch from the potatoes
- cooking oil as needed for pan frying
Instructions
- Peel and coarsely grate the potatoes*. Place in a colander or large sieve over appropriately sized bowl and let drain for 10-15 minutes. Press a couple of times to help the process along. (Alternatively, place the grated potatoes in a clean cheese cloth and squeeze out all the water.)
- Once most of the liquid from the potatoes has collected at the bottom of the bowl, move the drained potatoes to the side and either discard the liquid and reserve the starch settled underneath it or discard everything.**
- Beat the eggs with the salt, pepper, nutmeg and if using the 1 tablespoon of corn or potato starch, then add to the potatoes.
- Heat ¼ cup of cooking oil in a frying pan over medium to medium-high heat. When hot, add a large spoonful of potato egg mixture to the oil and flatten it out using the back of the spoon. (Do not overcrowd the pan).
- Fry until each side is golden and crispy, about 4 minutes per side, depending on how large the pancakes are.
- Drain the cooked potato pancakes over paper towels before serving. Serve while still hot with apple sauce or sour cream as a dip.
Notes
Substitute suggestion: Use 1 ½ lb of frozen hash-browns instead. Bring to room temperature and start at Step 3 of the recipe. Add the 1 tablespoon of starch.
*You can finely grate a couple of the potatoes if you plan on using their own starch instead of adding a tablespoon of starch as per the recipe.
** If you'd like to use the starch derived from the potatoes, carefully pour out the watery liquid from the bowl and save the starch settled at the bottom.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 294kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 641mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g
