Potato Pancakes

When the weather turns nippy, whip up a batch of savory potato pancakes to warm yourself up.

By Robin Robertson

When the leaves change from green to bronze and the first frost blankets the ground, the call of cozy comfort foods is hard to resist. For culinary inspiration, Eastern Europe offers a mother lode of warming, satisfying cold-weather dining ideas. From Budapest to Bucharest, wholesome dishes showcase hearty vegetables such as cabbage, potatoes, and beets, as well as beans and grains. These include robust stews and soups featuring barley, mushrooms, white beans, and noodles, often seasoned with paprika, dill, or black pepper. Mustard, horseradish, and pickled vegetables are typical condiments.

Through the multiple reconfigurations of the region's maps over the centuries, the foods of countries like Hungary, Poland, and Romania maintain many culinary similarities. In some instances, you'll find the same basic dishes under slightly different names. Take, for instance, the savory, potato-filled pillows called pierogi, pyrohy, or piroghi, among other variants. Similar comparisons can be made for stuffed cabbage rolls, bean and barley soup, cabbage and noodles, and other dishes. Many of the regional meat recipes bearing names such as goulash, paprikash, and stroganoff, are ideal vehicles for tempeh or seitan. Merely swap out the meat, add a dollop of vegan sour cream, and you've got some great comfort food.

Perhaps the most comforting and tasty dish in the Eastern European repertoire is the potato pancake. Its savory simplicity offers the ideal canvas for all kinds of condiments, and they can be eaten any time of the day or night, year round. Serve hot with cinnamon-laced applesauce, vegan sour cream, or sautéed mushrooms.

Serves 4

What You Need:

1-1/2 pounds russet potatoes
1 small yellow onion
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Safflower oil, for frying

What You Do:

Peel and grate potatoes, then place in a colander and set over a large bowl. Using your hands, squeeze out the excess liquid from the potatoes. Pour off the liquid and place potatoes in the bowl. Grate the onion and add to the potatoes along with the parsley, flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper, and mix well.
Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Heat a thin layer of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Take a heaping tablespoon of batter and flatten it before gently placing it in the hot oil. Make three or four more potato pancakes this way, and add to skillet (without crowding pan). Fry until golden brown on both sides, turning once, about 8 minutes total.
Repeat with remaining potato mixture, adding more oil as necessary. Remove the cooked potato pancakes to paper towels to drain, then transfer to an ovenproof platter and keep warm in the oven until all pancakes are cooked.

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