Potato Patties (or Pancakes)

Easy to make potato patties or pancakes with boiled potatoes. They can be served either as a side dish for a savoury meal or as a delicious dessert.

Potato patties, pancakes, fritters, Kartoffelpuffer, Reibeplätzchen and so on, there are many names for this simple and utterly delicious potato recipe.

They are a traditional dish in Germany but not only, they are also a part of the traditional cuisine of many other countries in Europe, such as Poland, Russia, Austria, and so on.

And if you would like to try some other patties, how about these Baked Cauliflower Potato Patties?

These particular patties are not quite Reibeplätzen, which are made with grated raw potatoes. They are the German-Romanian version made with boiled potatoes. They are perfectly fluffy, lightly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, so comforting and so good!!!

How to make?

• You can make the potato patties with leftover boiled potatoes or you can cook fresh potatoes.
• Boil some small potatoes, it goes faster.
• Wash the potatoes very thoroughly, but leave the skin on. Boil in salted water until fork-tender, about 20 minutes, but check. If they are larger, they will need longer.
• Drain well and let cool.
• Peel and mash with a potato masher or a fork.
• Add the salt, flour, sour cream, milk, and lightly beaten eggs. Mix well.
• Heat about 1 teaspoon of oil in a non-stick pan.
• Place 1 tablespoon batter into the pan, form a round patty. Repeat with as many patties as you can fit in the pan.
• Fry on medium heat for about 2 minutes on each side or until nicely colored and cooked through.
• Brush the pan with more oil between the batches. Keep warm in the oven while you fry the rest of the patties.

How to serve?

Well, you really have a choice.

Savoury:

• You can have them as a side dish for soups, like for instance this Creamy Mushroom Soup, this Romanian Spinach Soup with Omelet, or this Creamy Sunchoke Soup.
• Or as an accompaniment to salads, such as this Roasted Beetroot Salad or this Broccoli Pea Salad.
• Or as a side dish for meat and sauce dishes, such as this Spanish Pork Stew or this Beef Apple Goulash.

Sweet:

• You can have them as a sweet main meal with applesauce and cinnamon or with sweetened cottage cheese and banana slices.
• Or for breakfast with blueberry sauce.
• You can also drizzle them with plain sugar, maple syrup or other syrups you like.

I found the recipe in Olga Katharina Farca’s Saxon Cookbook Das Kochbuch der Siebenbürger Sachsen: Mit geschichtlichem Überblick . I didn’t change it, still my pancakes look completely different than the picture in the book. It doesn’t matter: they were still the best Kartoffelpuffer/potato pancakes I have ever had. 🙂

More patties, fritters or pancakes:

Oatmeal Patties

Corn and Zucchini Fritters

Chicken Fritters – Russian Style

Okonomiyaki – Japanese Cabbage Pancakes

Zucchini Feta Pancakes

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Potato Patties (or Pancakes)

Yield: 30

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Easy to make potato patties or pancakes with boiled potatoes. They can be served either as a side dish for a savoury meal or as a delicious dessert.

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Ingredients

• 450 g/ 1 lb boiled potatoes (Note)
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 125 g/ 4.4 oz/ 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoon sour cream or smetana
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 3 eggs
• a little oil for frying

Instructions

1. Cook the potatoes in salted water until soft, about 20 minutes, but check. Drain well and let cool. Peel and mash them with a potato masher or a fork.
2. Add the salt, flour, sour cream, milk, and lightly beaten eggs. Stir to mix.
3. Heat about 1 teaspoon of oil in a non-stick pan. Spread the oil in the pan using a brush.
4. Place 1 tablespoon batter into the pan, level nicely, and form a round patty. Repeat with as many patties as you can fit in the pan (I can make 4 at a time in my pan).
5. Fry on medium heat for about 2 minutes on each side or until nicely colored and cooked through.
6. Add another teaspoon of oil to the pan before frying the following batch.
7. Keep warm in the oven while you fry the rest of the patties.
8. Serve sweet or savoury as suggested above.

Notes

This is a good recipe for using leftover boiled potatoes in the skin. But if you don't have them, bring some water to a boil, salt it, and boil the potatoes in the skin, for about 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and let cool.