Great Grandmother's Potato Pancakes

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4.87 from 30 votes

Great Grandmother's Potato Pancakes

My Polish great grandmother's potato pancakes are a family favorite comfort food!

Course Dinner, Side Dish

Cuisine European

Keyword Polish potato pancakes, potato pancakes, potato pancakes recipe, Potato Sides

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 30

Total Time 50

Servings people (about 14 pancakes total)

Calories 175kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Equipment

Food Processsor
Large skillet (I own and love this Smithey Ironware Co. cast iron skillet)

Ingredients

4 large russet potatoes (about 3 lbs.), peeled
1 medium onion, peeled
1 large egg
¼ cup all-purpose flour
Kosher salt, to taste (I use 1 tablespoon of kosher salt per my grandmother's recipe, but some folks find that too salty, so adjust according to your taste)
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon baking powder
Butter and vegetable oil, for frying
Optional, for serving: warm applesauce; maple syrup; chopped fresh chives other fresh herbs or green onions; sour cream

Instructions

Preheat oven to 200°F. Place 2 nonstick baking sheets in oven.
Using a box grater or a food processor fitted with a grating disc, coarsely grate the onion. Transfer the grated onion to a colander and set the colander in a sink to drain.
Next, use the grater or food processor to coarsely grate the potatoes. Add the potatoes to the colander with the onion, and leave the colander in the sink to drain for a few minutes.
In large bowl, whisk together egg, flour, salt, pepper and baking powder.
Using a dish towel, gently squeeze excess liquid from the potatoes and onion. Add potato mixture to the bowl with the egg. Use your hands to gently combine the ingredients.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Scoop about ¼ cup of the potato mixture at a time, and place it in the skillet. Use a spatula to gently flatten the potato mixture into a pancake. Repeat with the remaining potatoes.
Fry the potato pancakes until golden brown on each side (about 3-4 minutes per side). Then use a spatula to remove the pancakes from the skillet and drain on paper towels. Once drained, place the pancakes on the warm baking sheets in the oven to keep them warm while you finish frying the rest of the pancakes in batches.
Use paper towels to carefully wipe out the skillet in between each batch of pancakes, adding 1 tablespoon of oil and 1 tablespoon of butter to the skillet with each new batch. Continue frying 3-4 pancakes at a time until you have used all of the potato mixture.
Serve the pancakes warm with applesauce, maple syrup or sour cream.

Video

Notes

The potatoes and onions should be coarsely grated. My grandmother always used the largest holes on a box grater, so that's what I do! You can also use a food processor to make the job quicker and easier if you prefer.

Russet potatoes work best in this recipe because they have a high starch content, which helps to bind the pancakes together. I do not recommend substituting with red or yellow potatoes.

Remove the moisture from the potatoes and onions by draining for a few minutes in a colander after grating. Then, just before combining with the rest of the ingredients, squeeze out as much liquid as you can with a dish towel. The dryer the potato mixture, the crispier the pancakes on the outside and more tender on the inside!

Make sure that your pan is hot enough so that the potatoes sizzle in the skillet. Use a combination of butter (for flavor) and an oil that has a high smoke point (such as vegetable oil or canola oil).

Nutrition