German Potato Pancakes Recipe! (Kartoffel-Kuchen or Kartoffelpuffer)

Tonight I decided to share with you a little recipe which my mother has only recently taught me, the first time I did make a few mistakes but I think this time around I managed to get it spot on for my own tastes!

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to the German potato pancake!

Now before we start, yes I am German and secondly as far as I know this recipe varies from region to region, so please bear that in mind if you think the recipe isn’t right or isn’t traditional :)

Now I have no idea how to say their name in German…I have been told by my German mother that they are called Kartoffel Kuchen, however google thinks they are called Kartoffelpuffer…so if there is anyone out there who knows what name I should use…Please let me know!

This batch is enough for 2 people to last for dinner and lunch or for a family of 4 for one meal....or if you want numbers this makes about 12 pancakes :P

Things you will need:

-          2 large potatoes

-          1 onion

-          A couple tablespoons of plain flour

-          Salt, pepper, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper

-          1 egg

-          Sunflower (or vegetable) oil

Step 1: Wash and peel both of the potatoes, then use a cheese grater to grate up the potatoes into a large bowl; this can take a while and make sure to watch your fingers! Once complete, peel your onion and grate that into the same bowl, you should be left with something like this:

Step 2: Grab some paper towel sheets and press these onto the top of your mixture, repeat this several times to remove the moisture from the potatoes otherwise your mix will be too wet.

Step 3: Next, add in your egg, a good pinch of salt and pepper, as well as a dash of smoked paprika and cayenne pepper, mix until well combined, then add in one tablespoon of flour at a time and mix well, repeat until 2-3 tablespoons are incorporated and your mixture has thickened.

Step 4: Heat up a generous amount of oil in a frying pan on a medium to low heat, once heated spoon in 1 tablespoon of mixture and use the back of the spoon to press the mixture out flat, basically so it resembles a pancake, you only want to work with 2 in a pan at a time to prevent burning etc.

Step 5: Wait until you see the edges beginning to brown and crisp up before you flip them, cook on the other side for the same amount of time.

Note: You are working with raw potato here so make sure to give each side of the “pancake” a good amount of time to cook through, make sure to spread them thin and if you feel like they are browning too quickly, turn the heat down.

Step 6: Remove from the pan, place on a baking tray in a warm oven until all the cakes are done, and repeat with the next few tablespoons.

And there you go! A nice set of German potato pancakes (or whatever they’re called)! I like to serve mine alongside a fried breakfast or as a replacement for chips at dinner….or if you’re like my other half, they can be eaten the next day by themselves with a little ketchup!

As always, please feel free to leave me a comment down below! Why not tell me your favourite German food?