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| Mmmm... fresh potato pancakes. |
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| Potatoes, carrots, & onion shredded |
I love these things. I first had this type of potato pancake, with the carrots and onions, when I was in college, at my friend Kristin's apartment. She had invited me over for dinner, and honestly, I think this may have been the dinner. Just the potato pancakes made the size of a dinner plate. Kristin's not a vegetarian; I just think they're so good that college students would consider them a meal. Kristin used red potatoes and these potato pancakes clearly left an impression on me, because 20-some-odd years later I still remember sitting in her apartment eating them, and I'm still making them for my family. It's the only way my 11-year-old son Max says he enjoys carrots. Most things do taste better when fried, though. Let's face that fact.
One of the main reasons I like these is that I consider this side as counting for both my starch and my vegetable for the meal. Hey, it's better than frozen french fries, right? Of course it is.
Potato Pancakes
Ingredients:
- 4 medium yellow-flesh potatoes, scrubbed (can use red potatoes or russets—I prefer yellow)
- 1/2 medium onion
- 6-12 baby carrots or 1-2 large carrots, scrubbed
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
- 1 large egg
- salt to taste
- canola oil (or your favorite cooking oil)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit to hold finished potato pancakes.
Into a large bowl, shred potatoes, onion, and carrots. Add pepper, flour, and egg. Mix thoroughly with a fork. I wad up a paper towel and place it in the bottom to soak up excess moisture.
Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan (less if you’re using a non-stick pan, more if it’s not non-stick). Scoop about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of potato mixture into a pile in the pan and spread out to about 1/3 inch thickness. Be careful to keep it in a patty shape. Place as many patties in the pan as you can, leaving about 1/2 inch between patties. Salt to taste; just a sprinkle to start—you can always add more at the table if you’d like.
When patty looks dark brown on the edges, carefully flip each patty with a spatula and fry until well-browned on both sides. Remove to a cookie sheet and place in preheated oven to wait. Wipe pan with a paper towel. Add oil & continue frying potato pancakes until you’re done, making sure to wipe pan between batches to remove stray potato strands and excess oil.
Serve warm.
Makes about 6 servings.