Kartoffelpuffer (German Potato Pancakes)
Finely grated potato and onion, squeezed dry and shallow-fried into thin pancakes with lacy, crisp edges and a tender centre, served with applesauce.
Method
Peel the potatoes and grate them on the fine side of a box grater into a bowl, then grate the onion on the same side and add it. Grated potato turns grey quickly once it meets the air, so work briskly without breaks.
Add in this stepFloury or all-purpose potatoes 600 gOnion 80 g
Tip the potato and onion into a clean tea towel, gather it up and twist it hard over a second bowl until hardly any liquid drips out. Leave the squeezed-out liquid to stand for : the white potato starch will settle at the bottom. Carefully pour off the water and keep the starch.
Put the squeezed potato back in the first bowl and add the saved starch, the egg, flour, salt and nutmeg. Mix well: the batter should be moist but not swimming in liquid. Fry it straight away, because it turns watery and grey if it stands.
Add in this stepEgg 1Plain flour 2 tbspSalt ¾ tspGround nutmeg 1 pinch
Pour the oil into a 26 cm frying pan, about 3 mm deep, and heat it over medium-high heat for , to roughly 170–180 °C. Test with a little batter: it should sizzle and bubble immediately. Make sure the pan and your hands are dry, never let water near the hot oil, and keep a lid within reach just in case.
Add in this stepNeutral oil (sunflower or rapeseed) 48 ml
medium-high heatSpoon in heaped tablespoons of batter (about 2 tbsp each), laying them down away from you, and press them flat with the back of the spoon to 8–9 cm across and about 5 mm thick. Turn down to medium heat and fry for per side, flipping with a spatula when the edges are deep golden brown and crisp. Make 8 pancakes in total, 3–4 at a time. Stir the batter and add a little more of the oil before each new batch, letting it get hot again first. Keep the finished pancakes crisp on a rack in a 100 °C oven.
Add in this stepNeutral oil (sunflower or rapeseed) 32 ml
medium heatDrain the pancakes briefly on paper towels and serve them piping hot with the applesauce. In the Rhineland they are also eaten on dark rye bread, and some people like a light sprinkle of sugar on top.
Add in this stepApplesauce 200 g
Cook's tip
Squeezing out the liquid thoroughly is the secret to crispness. If the pancakes fall apart, mix in another tablespoon of flour; if they come out greasy and soft, the oil was not hot enough. For a savoury version, swap the applesauce for sour cream and chives.
Cooking it at camp
With a cast-iron pan and a gas burner this works just as well at a campsite. Don't grate the potatoes at home, as they will turn grey; pack a box grater and a clean tea towel and grate and squeeze on site. Set up a windbreak, fry on a steady medium flame, and let the used oil cool before soaking it up in paper towels to carry out.