Potato Pancakes are such a wonderfully satisfying dish. They’re great for lunches or for serving alongside simple meat or fish dishes. And if you are having overnight guests for the holidays, they make a wonderful brunch or luncheon dish. Potato Pancakes have a history with many different cultures. For some background on these pancakes, click here.
I like to use my food processor for these Potato Pancakes, which I make in rather large batches, for two reasons: (1) because it saves so much time and energy, and (2) because the grating disk can process 3 pounds of potatoes in seconds. This allows you to get them in the frying pan before the potatoes get discolored, which makes your Potato Pancakes rather unappealing. Of course, if you don’t have a food processor, the whole thing can be done on hand grater.
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Grate the onions, preferably in a food processor with a shredding blade.
Grate the onion.
The finely grated onion.
Empty the grated onions into a colander, and press down hard with a potato masher to remove as much liquid as possible.
Peel the 3 pounds potatoes (preferably large russets) as quickly as possible to keep them from discoloring.
Peel the potatoes.
Grate the potatoes in the food processor.
Grate the potatoes.
The grated potatoes.
Add the potatoes to the onions in the colander and press down with a potato masher to remove excess liquid.
Press out the liquid.
Transfer the grated onions and potatoes to a large bowl and mix them thoroughly with your hands.
Beat the eggs and add them to the potatoes.
Add the eggs.
Then add the bread crumbs, the salt, pepper, and savory. The famous Jewish Hanukkah version, or Latkes, uses matzo meal (which you can substitute in this recipe) rather than bread crumbs. Dried savory is not a traditional herb for Potato Pancakes, but I find that a generous portion of the herb adds immeasurably to the taste.
Add the breadcrumbs and seasonings.
Mix again until everything is thoroughly combined.
In an electric fry pan or a skillet, heat a combination of butter and oil at 350° or over medium heat. A large electric skillet is perfect for this recipe because you can fry the whole amount in just two batches.
With a slotted spoon and leaving behind any liquid, spread about 1⁄3 cup of the mixture for each pancake into the hot butter and oil. Flatten each mound a bit with a spatula.
Fry the pancakes.
Continue to fry until the bottom of the pancakes are nicely browned. Flip the pancakes and brown on the other side.
Fry until browned.
You will need to do this process in at least two batches, perhaps more if your pan is small. Place the cooked Potato Pancakes on paper towels and pat the tops with another paper towel to remove any excess grease.
Serve the Potato Pancakes hot with apple sauce and/or sour cream.
Any leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated in a 350° oven for about 5 minutes.
