Best The Potato Pancake Principle By Joan Nathan Recipes

MY CRISPY MASHED POTATO PANCAKE

Steps:

• Combine potatoes, eggs, flour, and garlic powder in a bowl.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat; fry potato mixture in skillet, pressing with a spatula to flatten evenly. Cover and cook until bottom is crispy, about 10 minutes; invert onto serving platter.

OLD-FASHIONED POTATO PANCAKES

Steps:

• Grate potatoes on coarse side of hand grater. Squeeze out liquid with your hands.
• Grate onion and squeeze.
• Mix onion with potatoes, egg whites, flour and salt, and stir well to mix completely.
• Heat nonstick skillet, and spray a light film of oil on bottom. When pan is very hot, drop mixture by the heaping tablespoon onto hot surface, pat to spread out, and brown over medium heat; turn, and brown on second side. Repeat.

PURE POTATO LATKES

Steps:

• Adjust the rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350 degrees. Bake the potatoes directly on the rack for 30 minutes, then flip and bake for another 15 minutes until they are hot throughout but still raw in the middle. Remove and let cool for about 30 minutes.
• Slice the potatoes in half widthwise. Holding the curved peel side with one hand, grate the flat, flesh side of each piece using the large holes of a box grater. The grating process should open them up like a jacket, leaving you with potato skins perfect for frying later, if you'd like. (You could also use a food processor with a grating blade instead; just peel your potatoes beforehand.) Sprinkle the grated potatoes with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
• Take about 1/2 cup grated potato in your hands and gently squeeze between your palms to form a patty. Press the patty until about 1/2-inch thick and carefully set the latke on a plate. Repeat with the remaining grated potatoes to make about 8 latkes. Cover and refrigerate a few hours or overnight.
• Just before serving, heat a large, heavy skillet with about 1/4 inch of canola oil over medium-high. When it is hot, a shred of potato dropped into the oil should sizzle. Working in two batches, gently fry four latkes until crisp and deep golden, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels or a paper bag to drain, and repeat with remaining latkes.
• Serve hot, topped with a slice of smoked salmon, a dollop of crème fraîche or sour cream and a few sprinkles of chives, if you like.

FRENCH POTATO PANCAKES

Steps:

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

CHEF JOHN'S CLASSIC POTATO PANCAKES

Steps:

• Place potatoes and onion into a large bowl and pour enough cold water in the bowl to cover by several inches. Let rest until potatoes and onion are completely soaked, 20 to 30 minutes. Pour potato mixture into a colander, rinse, drain, and squeeze repeatedly to remove all moisture.
• Whisk eggs, flour, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper together in a bowl until smooth.
• Mix potato mixture and egg mixture together in a large bowl with a spatula.
• Heat 1/4-inch oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When oil shimmers, drop large spoonfuls of potato batter into hot oil and flatten with a spatula to about 1/2-inch thick. Cook until the edges of pancakes are golden brown and crispy, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, flip pancakes, and cook until golden brown and crispy on the other side, about 5 minutes more. Repeat cooking process with remaining batter.