German Potato Pancakes

Delightfully crispy on the outside and softer on the inside – warm and flavorfully seasoned, these  German potato pancakes, ‘Kartoffelpuffer’, are fun to make and even more delicious to eat!

We have made the recipe healthier, by reducing the large amount of oil used to fry the pancakes traditionally and replacing that with a minimal amount of clarified butter(ghee) per pancake. Usually, you will get these served with applesauce or sour cream alongside a main meal like Sausages. That’s wonderful, but if you like a fresh, zesty, and savory topping, try our Coconut Cilantro sauce. No cooking involved!

The Recipe Intro↓ has more information on this dish as well as related recipes. If you’d like to check it out.

♦Prep time:10 min ♦Cook time:20 min ♦Yield: 15 pancakes

You can strike through ingredients, as you prep them, by clicking on the ingredient.

Ingredients:

For the Coconut Cilantro Sauce:

Method:

1. Firstly, boil the potatoes in their skin ( with a light cut all around the center, for easy peeling later), till tender. Be careful not to overcook the potatoes. They should not break apart or be mushy, but rather still say firm and slightly undercooked towards the center. Using a pressure cooker saves time here.
2. Drain and peel the potatoes while still hot. Now place them in a small colander and chill them in the fridge, till they have cooled off.
3. Grate the potatoes using the medium holes of your grater. Make sure there is no water in the potatoes or bowl into which they are being grated.
4. Now grate the onion using the finer holes. We need a very finely minced onion. Put the minced onion on a tea towel, and squeeze out the extra liquid.
5. Add the grated potato and onion into a bowl along with the remaining ingredients for the German Potato Pancakes.
6. Stir using a fork, or your hands till all the ingredients are mixed thoroughly together. You should end up with a potato mixture that is moist but not at all wet.
7. Form this mixture into tight balls (about 3 Tbsp each), and set aside.
8. Heat 1 tsp of the clarified butter in a non-stick pan, and place one potato ball at a time into the pan.
9. Use a flat spatula, lightly dipped into the clarified butter in the pan, and press the ball gently to flatten it into a small pancake shape.
10. Fry on moderate heat,  (less than a minute) till golden brown and crispy on on side. Keep the heat regulated.
11. Flip over and repeat on the other side.
12. Remove the fried pancakes to a wire rack to prevent them from becoming soft upon resting.
13. Repeat with the remaining potato pancakes.
14. While the pancakes, get started on the Coconut Cilantro Sauce.
15. Add the Kara Coconut Cream (chilled overnight), along with the remaining ingredients, for the Sauce, into your blender or immersion blender jar. Blend well. Pour into a bowl and serve along with your hot Potato pancakes.

German Potato Pancakes

Notes:

• This is a versatile recipe. If you don’t like Onion in the pancake, you can omit it. You could add green onions instead also. Fresh parsley can be substituted with dried. You can play around with the seasonings. Our combination gives pretty tasty, crispy potato pancakes though.
• Russet potatoes are used because they are more starchy, bind better, and crisp up better too. If you can’t find it, Yukon Gold potatoes are a good second choice.
• Clarified butter or Ghee is used because of its higher smoke point and the flavor and aroma that it imparts.
• Adding baking powder to the pancakes gives them a ‘lighter’ feel and texture.
• Adding 1 green chilli hardly makes the sauce spicy, considering the coconut cream used. It does add a layer of mild heat along with fragrance and flavor. Still, you can adjust it to suit your spice tolerance.
• Chilled coconut cream is used for the sauce because it whips up better. This is why we chill it overnight. You can also make the sauce and chill it overnight.
• Keep any leftover Coconut Cilantro Sauce covered tightly in the fridge. It stays fresh for up to a week and can be served with any type of snack. If it thickens up too much in the fridge, just whip it up before serving. This sauce tastes best when slightly cold. Cold but not too chilled and set is recommended.

Key Ingredients: Potato, Egg, Onion, Cornstarch, Herbs, Spices, Clarified Butter, Salt.

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