Recipe: Kartoffelpuffer from scratch

As Willemijn has remarked earlier, it is a pretty dreary and cold winter in Melbourne at the moment, with lots and lots of rain. In other words, a lot like winter in the Netherlands.

And the one thing associated with winter in Europe is Christmas, and the Christmas markets that are so popular and wide-spread in Germany. And from there it is only a small step, via mulled wine, to Kartoffelpuffer (Google translates them as “potato pancakes”, making obvious that this is something so German, there is no proper English term for it).

These deep-fried potato patties have been a fixed part of my diet growing up. In Germany you can get them in a deep-frozen variety, which you can then just fry in the pan (in case you don’t have a deep fryer or don’t feel like going through the hassle), and we would have them maybe once a month. It’s a quick and easy way to fill hungry mouths.

There are generally two trains of thought on how to eat them: with mustard or with apple sauce. While the latter is the more traditional way, and the way you will see them on most Christmas markets, the former is the way I learned to eat them, and the way that I prefer. Call me weird.

Let’s get started

The recipe below is for 2 to 3 people.

Ingredients:
4 middle sized potatoes
1 medium onion
1 egg
50g of wholemeal flour
salt and pepper

As the frying of them can take 5 minutes or more per patty, and space in the deep fryer (or the wok that I am using) is limited, you can bake them in two steps. As preparation, bake them all till they are almost done. Then, just before serving, pop them all back into the oil for 30 seconds to heat up again and finish off.

Serve with apple sauce and/or mustard to taste. Eat with your fingers and enjoy!