Pancakes: Potato Pancakes

Subject: Potato Pancakes
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
From: Jill (jmcquown at bellsouth.net)
Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2007 14:40:52 -0500
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I've got some leftover mashed potatoes. My Scottish grandmother made potato pancakes from leftover mashed.

My German grandmother made latkes... grated potato pancakes.

Which do you prefer?
From: JoeSpareBedroom (dishborealis at yahoo.com)
Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2007 19:47:02 GMT
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Nonsense. Nobody can make pancakes from mashed potatoes.

Cite, please.

1..
2....
3......

JUST KIDDING, JILL!
From: Dave Smith (adavidsmith at sympatico.ca)
Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2007 16:03:46 -0400
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Latkes.... there is no competition there.
From: Sqwertz (swertz at cluemail.compost)
Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2007 23:23:39 GMT
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> Latkes.... there is no competition there.

Yep - they have a much better texture. They get much crispier.
From: Christine Dabney (artisan2 at ix.netcom.com)
Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2007 17:26:42 -0600
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>> Latkes.... there is no competition there.

This is something I have had in mind to try for some time now. I meant to do it last year, but things happened so I never got around to it.

I guess I will have to start perusing the archives to see what everyone recommends as to fixing these.

Christine, whose mind is turning towards cooler weather foods.
From: agrunspan (april-g at nospamsatx.rr.com)
Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2007 16:49:47 -0500
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My grandmother made grated latkes (always with a bit of knuckle from the grater). She also put in a tablespoon or two of melted shmaltz (rendered chicken fat) which upped the flavor ante to over 100.

My mother-in-law made pure vegetarian, mashed potato latkes.

Having eaten both for almost three decades, the grated latkes with shmaltz win hands down.

April G.
San Antonio, TX
http://agru.etsy.com
From: Sqwertz (swertz at cluemail.compost)
Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2007 18:27:17 -0500
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I fry my hash browns and latkes in chicken fat whenever possible (80% of the time). My chicken fat comes from rendered chicken skins and neck/thigh fat. The skins are then eaten as chicken skin chicaronnes and the fat frozen for exclusive use of frying potatoes.

Like so: http://i10.tinypic.com/4q8ab2e.jpg [dead link]
From: Christine Dabney (artisan2 at ix.netcom.com)
Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2007 17:31:52 -0600
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>I fry my hash browns and latkes in chicken fat whenever possible
>(80% of the time). My chicken fat comes from rendered chicken

>Like so: http://i10.tinypic.com/4q8ab2e.jpg [dead link]

I wish I could get mine to look like yours. ;)

I save chicken fat whenever I can as well. I have a bag of chicken fat pieces in my freezer...must be about time to render it. I tend to use the fatty pieces from whole chickens, the big gobs of it just inside the cavity. Those gobs don't render down to the crispy bits you have...at least I have never been able to get them that way.
From: Sqwertz (swertz at cluemail.compost)
Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2007 19:11:02 -0500
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> I save chicken fat whenever I can as well. I have a bag of chicken
> fat pieces in my freezer...must be about time to render it. I tend to

I render the whole "fat and skin bag" at once. What you see there are just the remaining skins. The larger cavity fat globules just melt into liquid for the most part.

It's important to simmer at low heat until you don't see any moe bubbles from the skins. This means all the water had been drawn out. There is one point about halfway through the frying where they all stick together like a huge ball of glue. Just keep cooking and they'll separate.
From: agrunspan (april-g at nospamsatx.rr.com)
Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2007 08:39:48 -0500
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> I fry my hash browns and latkes in chicken fat whenever possible
> (80% of the time). My chicken fat comes from rendered chicken

SIGH! My grandmother would fry the small bits of chicken fat with onion until both were crispy and the pan was filled with the rendered fat. Then the rendered fat would go into a jar and the brown bits (gribbenes and tsibele in Yiddish) would go into a bowl and we kids would eat them like popcorn.

The shmaltz (rendered fat) also went into matzoh balls for soup and as a spread on white bread with a shake of salt on top for healthy measure!

Ah -- I dread finding out what my arteries look like today. But it was good!!!

April G.
San Antonio, TX
http://agru.etsy.com
From: Becca (becca at hal-pc.org)
Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2007 10:35:06 -0500
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> The shmaltz (rendered fat) also went into matzoh balls for soup and as a
> spread on white bread with a shake of salt on top for healthy measure!

Some things stay the same. Your grandmother used shmaltz in cooking, and my grandmother used the fat from crawfish heads. She also used shmaltz.
From: Sheldon Telemarketer (PENMART01 at aol.com)
Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2007 09:05:53 -0700
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> Some things stay the same. Your grandmother used shmaltz in cooking,
> and my grandmother used the fat from crawfish heads. She also used shmaltz.

Schmaltz is good (nothing builds zoftig better) but isn't seafood considered brain food... crawfish head fat has to be the perfect combination, brain food and breast food! ;)

Someone oughta bottle that stuff.
From: Serene (serene at serenepages.org)
Date: Sat, 13 Oct 2007 21:05:19 -0700
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agrunspan wrote:

> SIGH! My grandmother would fry the small bits of chicken fat with onion
> until both were crispy and the pan was filled with the rendered fat.
> Then the rendered fat would go into a jar and the brown bits (gribbenes
> and tsibele in Yiddish) would go into a bowl and we kids would eat them
> like popcorn.

*nodnod* I just finished up the last of the gribenes from the last batch. Yesterday, I had schmaltz on toast for breakfast. Outstanding!

> The shmaltz (rendered fat) also went into matzoh balls for soup and as a
> spread on white bread with a shake of salt on top for healthy measure!

Yep. Schmalt's real purpose in our house was to put into the knaedlach (matzoh-ball) soup. Mmmmmmm. Mom used to put so much schmaltz and onion in the knaedlachs that I was never sure how they held together.
From: azazello at koroviev.de (Victor Sack)
Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2007 23:58:23 +0200
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jmcquown (jmcquown at bellsouth.net) wrote:

> I've got some leftover mashed potatoes. My Scottish grandmother made potato
> pancakes from leftover mashed.
>
> My German grandmother made latkes... grated potato pancakes.

She must have had another name for them, or else she learnt to make them in America. "Latke" (from the South Russian/Ukrainian dialect word "latka" or "oladka", a variation of the standard "oladya") has long been adopted into Yiddish in those areas and is now used in America. It has never been used in any German-speaking countries, where this kind of potato pancakes are variously called Reibekuchen, Rivkooche, Reiberdatschi, Kartoffelpuffer, Reibeplätzchen, etc.

> Which do you prefer?

Another kind of potato pancakes popular in the northern parts of the Rhineland called Pillekuchen, which is similiar in concept to the traditionally made Swiss Rösti and even somewhat to some versions of the American hash browns. Here is a recipe adapted from _Kulinarische Streifzüge durch das Rheinland_ by Hannes Schmitz.

Bergischer Pillekuchen

1 kg (2 pounds) potatoes
about 125 g (4.4 ounces) streaky bacon (in a piece, not in thin rashers)
2 onions
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground nutmeg
3 eggs
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons sour cream

Peel and rinse the potatoes and cut them in thin sticks, (as for matchstick or shoestring potatoes). Cube the streaky bacon and fry it in a large pan until it gives off some fat. Mince the onions, add them to the bacon and fry until soft. Add the potatoes and continue to fry, turning them over often, until golden brown. Add the seasoning. Mix the eggs, flour and sour cream, with a bit of salt and pepper, pour the mixture over the potatoes and let it thicken. Serve with green salad.
From: jmcquown (jmcquown at bellsouth.net)
Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2007 23:24:12 -0500
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Victor Sack wrote:
> jmcquown wrote:
>> My German grandmother made latkes... grated potato pancakes.
>
> She must have had another name for them, or else she learnt to make
> them in America. "Latke" (from the South Russian/Ukrainian dialect
> word "latka" or "oladka", a variation of the standard "oladya") has
> long been adopted into Yiddish in those areas and is now used in
> America.

She was born here although she was of German descent (her maiden name was Ruffner and her parents were Reithmillers). So yes, she learned to make them here.

>It has never been used in any German-speaking countries,
> where this kind of potato pancakes are variously called Reibekuchen,
> Rivkooche, Reiberdatschi, Kartoffelpuffer, Reibeplätzchen, etc.

Whatever, dear! They're grated potato pancakes as opposed to the ones made from leftover mashed potatoes.
From: azazello at koroviev.de (Victor Sack)
Date: Sat, 29 Sep 2007 07:33:49 +0200
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jmcquown (jmcquown at bellsouth.net) wrote:

> She was born here although she was of German descent (her maiden name was
> Ruffner and her parents were Reithmillers).

Reithmüllers, surely?

> >It has never been used in any German-speaking countries,
> > where this kind of potato pancakes are variously called Reibekuchen,
> > Rivkooche, Reiberdatschi, Kartoffelpuffer, Reibeplätzchen, etc.
> >
> Whatever, dear! They're grated potato pancakes as opposed to the ones made
> from leftover mashed potatoes.

Every name has its place in its proper context. The one you invoked just happened to be ridiculous, as would be the one with the Reiberdatschi from the Rhineland, for example.
From: kilikini (kilikini1 at NOSPAMhotmail.com)
Date: Sat, 29 Sep 2007 07:13:50 -0400
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Victor Sack wrote:
> Every name has its place in its proper context. The one you invoked
> just happened to be ridiculous, as would be the one with the
> Reiberdatschi from the Rhineland, for example.

Trust me, I've been working on her genealogy. Riethmiller has been a name here in the U.S. for close to 200 years, now. The spellings of names change for various reasons. Chill out.
From: azazello at koroviev.de (Victor Sack)
Date: Sat, 29 Sep 2007 14:38:10 +0200
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Wake up and pay attention, already! Do you - either of you - even know what "context" means in either of your problems - different ones in this case - with the concept? Or, in your own particular case, even of how to quote for context?

ObPotatoPancakes: Draniki, a very nice Belorussion version of potato pancakes. As most other Belorussion potato dishes, this one requires a combination of more than one cooking methods (frying and baking in this case).

Draniki (also called "deruny", both words coming from "drat'", "to tear to pieces")

1 kg (2 lb) potatoes
50 g (2 oz) rye flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
salt
600 ml (1 pint) milk
3-4 tablespoons sunflower oil
sour cream

Grate the potatoes without squeezing out the liquid, mix with the flour, baking soda and salt, and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Form into a batter by mixing with the milk. Fry the pancakes in a hot frying pan, greased with a little sunflower oil. Place in an ovenproof dish, cover with sour cream and bake in the oven (180°C/350°F) for 5-7 minutes.
From: Kswck (kswck at optonline.net)
Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2007 19:07:42 -0400
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Coat em in some crushed corn flakes and pan fry.
From: Edwin Pawlowski (esp at snet.net)
Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2007 02:38:03 GMT
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> Which do you prefer?

Prefer a latke, but we rarely have them. I do like to add a few things to the leftover mashed though, and fry them up. Never met a potato that I didn't like.
From: Bob Terwilliger (virtualgoth at die_spammer.biz)
Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2007 20:19:48 -0700
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> Which do you prefer?

I much prefer grated potato pancakes. I don't care for the mashed-potato version at all. Given leftover mashed potatoes, I might try to make gnocchi.
From: Choco (LARA.ALEXANDROW at tafensw.net.au)
Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2007 21:04:10 -0700
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Hi Jill, my Lithuanian grandmother used to make potatoe pancakes as well. She would grate them & then wrap them in a cloth to wring all the moisture out of them. they were delicious! Lara.
From: Jen (anyofusNo at SPAMbigpond.net.au)
Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2007 08:58:52 GMT
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> Hi Jill, my Lithuanian grandmother used to make potatoe pancakes as
> well. She would grate them & then wrap them in a cloth to wring all
> the moisture out of them. they were delicious! Lara.

I was just about to write in exactly the same thing. My Lithuanian Dad used to make them sometimes. He called them potato pancakes, I don't know what he called them in Lithuanian.
From: sandi (me at privacy.net.invalid)
Date: 28 Sep 2007 23:30:08 GMT
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> Hi Jill, my Lithuanian grandmother used to make potatoe
> pancakes as well. She would grate them & then wrap them in a
> cloth to wring all the moisture out of them. they were
> delicious! Lara.

Yes. Grated, rinsed, moisture wrung out.
Egg, flour, salt, pepper, onion and fry.
From: Steve Y (steveremove at wanadoo.fr)
Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2007 07:31:40 +0200
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> Which do you prefer?

Depends on which meal we are talking about.

Potato pancakes are nice with a proper fried (British) breakfast, grated potato patties are better as part of a dinner/supper that involves a sauce of some kind.

I have never tried making potato pancakes with cold leftover spuds though, I've always made them whilst the spuds were still hot.
From: MayQueen (may at queenmay.com)
Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2007 23:10:46 -0700
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> Which do you prefer?

I don't make them from leftover potatoes, but I do make them from pretty much mashed consistency.

Make sure to use peanut oil when you cook them. Makes all the difference in the taste of the final product.

Oh yum! It's getting to be that time of year to make them again.
From: George (george at nospam.invalid)
Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2007 07:35:20 -0400
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I prefer latkes. The made from sweet potatoes version is also good.
From: Becca (becca at hal-pc.org)
Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2007 10:25:12 -0500
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George wrote:
> I prefer latkes. The made from sweet potatoes version is also good.

At Katz's Deli, I ordered a sweet potato knish, but I never had a sweet potato latke. Sounds good.
From: jmcquown (jmcquown at bellsouth.net)
Date: fri, 28 Sep 2007 11:37:02 -0500
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> I prefer latkes. The made from sweet potatoes version is also good.

Ah yes, sweet potatoes are often overlooked. They make for nice shoe-string fries, too :)
From: stark (starkraven at bellsouth.net)
Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2007 05:07:42 -0700
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> I've got some leftover mashed potatoes. My Scottish grandmother made potato
> pancakes from leftover mashed.
>
> My German grandmother made latkes... grated potato pancakes.
>
> Which do you prefer?

Un, I don't think you have a choice. Unless you can grate leftover mash.
From: Serene (serene at serenepages.org)
Date: Sat, 13 Oct 2007 20:50:40 -0700
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> Which do you prefer?

Latkes, hands down, but I have a Jewish mother and total apathy toward mashed potatoes.
From: Wayne Boatwright (wayneboatwright_ at _gmail.com)
Date: Sun, 14 Oct 2007 04:51:04 GMT
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My mom always called those made from mashed potatoes, potato patties. Those from fresh shredded potatoes were latkes.

I like both for different purposes... Potato patties as an accompaniment to a meal (preferably beef). They contained mashed potatoes, flour, egg, and onion.

I prefer potato pancakes (latkes) as a standalone, served with sour cream and homemade applesauce.