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Texas Potato Pancakes

By Morgan Bolling

Published on August 13, 2017

Time

1½ hours

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Texas Potato Pancakes

Ingredients

2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and shredded½ cup all-purpose flour 2 large eggs, lightly beaten⅓ cup shredded onion Salt and pepper 1 ¼ cups vegetable oil, plus extra as neededSour cream applesauce

Before You Begin

Shred the potatoes and onion on the large holes of a box grater or with the shredding disk of a food processor. The potato shreds may take on a red hue if left to sit out for a few minutes before cooking. This does not affect their flavor.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet and place in oven. Line large plate with triple layer of paper towels.
  2. Place half of potatoes in center of clean dish towel. Gather ends together and twist tightly to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Transfer to large bowl and repeat with remaining potatoes.
  3. Stir flour, eggs, onion, and 1 1/4 teaspoons salt into potatoes until combined. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat to 325 degrees. Using 1/3-cup dry measuring cup, place 3 portions of potato mixture in skillet and press into 4-inch disks with back of spoon.
  4. Cook until deep golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side, carefully flipping pancakes with 2 spatulas. Transfer pancakes to paper towel–lined plate to drain, about 15 seconds per side, then transfer to prepared wire rack in oven.
  5. Repeat with remaining potato mixture in 3 batches, stirring mixture, if necessary, to recombine and adding extra oil to skillet as needed to maintain 1/4-inch depth. Season pancakes with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, passing sour cream and applesauce separately.

Texas Potato Pancakes

Save

Time

1½ hours

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and shredded
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
⅓ cup shredded onion
Salt and pepper
1 ¼ cups vegetable oil, plus extra as needed
Sour cream
applesauce

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and shredded
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
⅓ cup shredded onion
Salt and pepper
1 ¼ cups vegetable oil, plus extra as needed
Sour cream
applesauce

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and shredded
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
⅓ cup shredded onion
Salt and pepper
1 ¼ cups vegetable oil, plus extra as needed
Sour cream
applesauce

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

These Texas versions of Kartoffelpuffer (German potato pancakes) boast moist, fluffy interiors surrounded by supremely crunchy, lacy exteriors. When developing our recipe, we found that the potatoes’ water content inhibited the crispiness of the cakes’ exteriors. Wringing out the shredded potatoes in a clean dish towel sent a lot of this water down the drain and gave us the crispy crunch we were after. Choosing russet potatoes, with their high starch content, and adding extra flour guaranteed maximum crunch.

Before You Begin

Shred the potatoes and onion on the large holes of a box grater or with the shredding disk of a food processor. The potato shreds may take on a red hue if left to sit out for a few minutes before cooking. This does not affect their flavor.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet and place in oven. Line large plate with triple layer of paper towels.
  2. Place half of potatoes in center of clean dish towel. Gather ends together and twist tightly to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Transfer to large bowl and repeat with remaining potatoes.
  3. Stir flour, eggs, onion, and 1 1/4 teaspoons salt into potatoes until combined. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat to 325 degrees. Using 1/3-cup dry measuring cup, place 3 portions of potato mixture in skillet and press into 4-inch disks with back of spoon.
  4. Cook until deep golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side, carefully flipping pancakes with 2 spatulas. Transfer pancakes to paper towel–lined plate to drain, about 15 seconds per side, then transfer to prepared wire rack in oven.
  5. Repeat with remaining potato mixture in 3 batches, stirring mixture, if necessary, to recombine and adding extra oil to skillet as needed to maintain 1/4-inch depth. Season pancakes with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, passing sour cream and applesauce separately.

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