Potato Pancakes

For the holidays, I want to share these treasured recipes from family and friends. Potato pancakes are a standard in my Jewish family and I’ve adapted them to be gluten free so we can feed all comers.

Potato pancakes are so easy and delicious that we make them relatively frequently in our house. We’ve made fall varieties with the addition of sweet potato, parsnip, or celery root, but prefer plain old potato pancakes. Our favorite way to eat these is with homemade (or in my house child made) fruit sauce — applesauce with pears or strawberries/raspberries from the freezer. Add the extra fruit to the apples while cooking and then pass the sauce through a fine or medium fine food mill blade for the silkiest result. Using a variety of apples we generally don’t find any reason to add a sweetener.

Makes 30 small pancakes or 15+ medium size

• 3 pounds potatoes, peeled
• 1 onion, peeled
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 t white pepper
• Vegetable oil

Coarsely grate the potatoes and onion in the food processor or using a box grater. Empty onto a thin dishtowel and squeeze as much water as possible out over the sink. Once the potatoes & onion  are as dry as you can manage, put in a bowl and add eggs, salt, and white pepper.

Heat 1/3″ oil in a large cast iron pan. When oil is hot, form pancakes of the desired size squeezing out as much liquid as possible.  Squeeze these into a shape that is flat and not too thick.  Then slip each pancake into the hot oil as you form them. You want to cook the pancakes until a nice golden brown and then flip to cook the second side. You should only cook once on each side, so manage the heat carefully and don’t flip until you have the desired color.  Cooking too slowly will cause pancakes to absorb oil and be soggy, but browning too quickly can leave a raw center.  Like many simple tasks, pancake making improves with practice!  Drain pancakes on paper towels and lightly sprinkle with salt before serving.