French Potato Pancakes
- Total Time
- 35 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1medium Spanish onion
- 2large russet potatoes, peeled (about 1¾ pounds)
- 4tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
- Grapeseed oil, for frying
- Apple compote, for serving (see recipe)
- ½cup crème fraîche, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
483 calories; 42 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 22 grams polyunsaturated fat; 26 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 404 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Working quickly to avoid discoloration, cut onion and potatoes in large chunks and then shred them, either by hand or by using the grating blade of a food processor.
- Step 2
One handful at a time and working over the sink, squeeze out as much liquid as possible from the potato and onion mixture and transfer to a medium bowl. Mix gently with your fingers. Pour the melted butter over the mixture, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and lightly work in with your fingers.
- Step 3
Heat an 8-inch nonstick frying pan and pour in enough grapeseed oil to lightly coat the bottom. When oil is almost smoking, spoon half the potato mixture into the pan, spreading it over the bottom of the pan and patting it down gently with a spatula so it is about an inch thick. Use the spatula to push in stray pieces to make a clean edge.
- Step 4
Fry for about 4 minutes on one side or until golden brown around the edges, then slide onto a plate. Invert the pan over the plate and flip, transferring pancake back into the pan on its other side. Cook for another 4 minutes or until crispy on the outside.
- Step 5
Slide pancake onto a paper-towel-covered plate and blot with additional paper towels to absorb excess oil. Remove top paper towels and flip pancake onto a clean plate using the same method as above. Keep in a warm oven as you repeat the process with the remaining potato mixture.
- Step 6
Season finished pancakes with more salt if desired. Using a sharp knife, cut like a pie into 6 pieces and serve each with a little apple compote and a dollop of crème fraîche.
Private Notes
Comments
I use a salad spinner to remove the moisture—works every time.
This has been my go to recipe for Chanukah dinners. I make the pancake a bit thinner and 10-12 inches in diameter. As soon as side 1 is solidly together, I ease it into a pizza pan and into a hot oven. The undone side is up and getting more solid at this point. Eventually I invert onto another pizza pan and finish in the oven. Serve it like a crisp potato pizza!
Excellent. My first batch was too moist and fell apart when I tried to flip. Paying attention to thoroughly draining the mixture before frying made a big difference.
These are so simple and satisfying! And it's great that I could make a large portion all at once and cut into single size wedges for serving. And it's a great recipe for people with gluten allergies, which we have in our family. And don't forget the Compote! That got gobbled up, too!
I've made this for years, starting from a Julia Child recipe, using quite a bit less onion but not squeezing it out. I suspect this helps with it holding together better when you flip it. I put the onion in a food processor and chop fine with the chopping blade, remove, then fine-shred the potatoes and squeeze them as dry as possible. (Squeezing the smaller amount of onion squeezes out too much onion flavor.)
This has been my favorite latke recipe. It may not look like my grandmother's or mother's but tastes exactly like them. I was able to make this recipe for my grandchildren without standing at the stove like a short order cook. As a result of the form, we were all able to eat together!!!!