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Classic Potato Pancakes

4.6

(43)

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A plate of Classic Potato Pancakes with a side of sour cream.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich

  • Active Time

    1 hour

  • Total Time

    1 hour

This recipe for potato pancakes falls into that wondrous category of dishes you can whip up at any time of day, any day of the year, and for virtually any occasion. More likehash brownsthan the style ofpancake made using leftover mashed potatoes, the primary ingredient here is uncooked shredded potato that’s combined with onion, egg, and flour. The potato mixture is then formed into patties and fried until each round is crisp and golden brown.

这个土豆煎饼菜谱有很多通讯on with one forclassic potato latkes, but where latkes typically use matzo meal in place of flour and get pan-fried in oil orschmaltz, these are cooked in a mixture of oil and butter, which adds a rich dairy note to the dish. Make sure to squeeze the grated spuds to extract as much liquid as possible, but don’t rinse them. The potato starch that clings to the surface of the unrinsed potatoes helps the pancake mixture hold together.

Serve thiscomfort foodfavorite in the traditional Eastern European fashion with sour cream and applesauce, or experiment with other toppings or mix-ins to change things up: Add chopped chives for color or a dash of garlic powder for bolder flavor. Form them intoscallion-potato pancake sandwicheswithlox, or swap out theEnglish muffinsin aClassic Eggs Benedictfor these crispy fried disks.

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What you’ll need

Ingredients

Makes about 24 pancakes

1 medium onion, peeled
4 large Idaho or russet potatoes (about 3½ lbs.), peeled
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 Tbsp. vegetable oil
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
Applesauce and/or sour cream, for serving

  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 200°F. Place 2 nonstick baking sheets in oven.

    Step 2

    Using box grater or food processor fitted with grating disc, coarsely grate onion and place in colander set in sink. Coarsely grate potatoes, add to colander, and set aside to drain.

    Step 3

    Lightly beat eggs in a large bowl, then whisk in flour.

    Step 4

    Press potatoes and onion to extract as much liquid as possible, then add to egg/flour mixture. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Using wooden spoon or hands, mix well, but do not overwork.

    Step 5

    Heat 1 Tbsp. oil and 1 Tbsp. butter in a heavy-bottomed large skillet over medium-high heat, until hot but not smoking. Drop 4 scant ¼-cup portions of potato mixture into pan and flatten with spatula to form four 3-inch pancakes.

    Step 6

    Fry until bottoms are golden-brown, 4 to 5 minutes, then turn over and fry until golden-brown and crisp, an additional 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain; season immediately with salt and pepper. Keep warm on baking sheets in oven while making remaining pancakes.

    Step 7

    Using paper towels, carefully wipe out pan. Add 1 Tbsp. oil and 1 Tbsp. butter and fry 4 more pancakes. Repeat with remaining batter, wiping out pan and adding 1 Tbsp. oil and 1 Tbsp. butter before each batch.

    Step 8

    Serve pancakes hot with applesauce and/or sour cream.

    Editor's note:This recipe was originally published in July 2006. Head this way for moregreat Hanukkah food→

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Reviews (43)

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  • This is a very classic recipe, and makes excellent latkes. However, most Jews wouldn’t fry them in butter (or serve sour cream) as then they couldn’t be eaten with meat. With a dairy meal it would be fine, though.

    • Anonymous

    • Tucson, AZ

    • 12/14/2022

  • I’ve made an almost identical recipe for years, subbing in frozen hash browns. The work perfectly!

    • Tina

    • Northumberland, PA

    • 7/13/2022

  • erg lekker

    • hans

    • zwolle

    • 2/3/2022

  • LOVE them. Just like my mom used to make when I was growing up. THANK you

    • Charlie

    • Morrisville pa

    • 1/19/2022

  • Absolute perfection!!! They were delicious!! Definitely will be in my rotation from now on!!!

    • Erin

    • Clayton, NJ

    • 10/23/2021

  • How can I stop my Potato Pancakes from turning black when I fry them?

    • Carolyn

    • Pittsburgh

    • 10/19/2021

  • I like this recipe better than the other one I used. The pancakes dont look like your pics but tastes very good.

    • Erin Rath

    • Jarrell, tx

    • 9/26/2021

  • I googled and this is the first recipe that I found. I made it tonight as a side for dinner and it was so good. My Husband was really surprised when he came home from work, since his mom used to make these for him. Great recipe, that was very easy to make. I will gladly make it again. Thank you

    • Anonymous

    • Palm Harbor FL

    • 9/13/2021

  • 我没有让你的食谱,但它带来了很多happy memories back. My dad was Lithuanian and used to make these for us. He was only 15 when war broke out and never saw his mum again. He must have watched her when he was young and remembered how to make them as noone else I knew had heard of them. Dad finally ended up in England and we loved his potato pancakes. We all had something different things on them. My dad had salt on them, my mum and brother had jam on them and I put treacle on them. Thank you for the memory

    • Anonymous

    • Knottingley, West Yorkshire, England

    • 8/29/2021

  • I had a half a bag of hash browns I wanted to be rid of, in the freezer. Used your recipe, except for the potato & shredding. Turned out great and hubs was pleasantly surprised. So easy! Thanks!

    • jerseyinky

    • Kentucky

    • 4/14/2021

  • I put these back in my rotation recently and used this great recipe for guidance. Trick: I always keep a couple boxes of pot pnck mix around. If only a few potatos are left in the house, add a packet of mix & 2 eggs. Then you don't need to go crazy drying shredded pot's because the mix absorbs excess liquid ;) It works!

    • NJwildlife

    • West Milford

    • 1/22/2020

  • I didn't have time to grate potatoes, so I pureed them in a blender (texture change - I know) they came out GREAT! Reminded me of the ones my German Grandmother made. They were light and fluffy! I used 5 lbs of potatoes, 7 eggs, 7 Tbs flour, 2 onions and salt to taste. I fried them in straight vegetable oil. These freeze well. This recipe made about 32 - 4" pancakes.

    • navymom10122265

    • Chicago, IL

    • 8/31/2018

  • I believe you only soak the potatoes until you grate them so they don't turn black. This is the way my grandma made them but I believe she added a little baking powder

    • sszulkowski

    • Chicago, IL

    • 4/28/2018

  • Awesome recipe I'm a cool at a nursing home and I used the recipe (a bigger portion) to feed 70 Residents! They loved it! Thanks

    • lmariex32

    • Cleveland, Ohio

    • 8/28/2016

  • I made this in about an hour while also preparing a full meal. This is a great classic recipe! So easy to make. I wish there were better ways to spice it up though.

    • schwarta77

    • Binghamton, NY

    • 12/3/2011

Tags Starter Russet Potato Potato Root Vegetable Vegetable Onion Side Sour Cream Dairy Dinner Breakfast Nut Free Vegetarian Easy Fry Food Processor 万博官网 Polish Eastern European European Hanukkah Jewish German

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