Mum's secret tricks for perfect potato pancakes revealed

Potato pancakes have graced tables for generations. Whether served with sugar and cream or with goulash, we all love their crispy yet tender texture. If you want your potato pancakes made from new potatoes to be perfect, you must know a trick my mum has used for years.

New potatoes are perfect for pancakes, but you need to remember something. Unlike older potatoes, they contain less starch. It’s the starch that holds the pancakes together and makes them crispy. Therefore, after grating the potatoes, you must add some potato flour to the mixture.

The second trick my mum uses is adding grated onion just before frying. This gives the pancakes a beautiful golden colour and a distinctive flavour.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg of new potatoes (weight after peeling),
• 1 large onion,
• 1 egg,
• 1-2 tablespoons of plain flour,
• 1 tablespoon of potato flour,
• Salt and pepper to taste,
• 1 tablespoon of sour cream (optional),
• Oil for frying.

Preparation:

1. Peel and grate the potatoes using the finest holes on a grater. You can also grind them in a meat grinder.
2. Using cheesecloth, squeeze out the excess juice from the potatoes. Set the squeezed water aside for 10 minutes.
3. After this time, carefully pour off the water from the bowl, leaving the starch at the bottom. Add this starch to the potatoes.
4. Add the plain flour, potato flour, egg, optional sour cream, salt, and pepper to the potatoes.
5. Grate the onion using a medium or large hole grater and add it to the potato mixture. Mix everything thoroughly.
6. Heat oil in a pan. There should be enough oil to cover the surface of the pan perfectly.
7. Spoon portions of the batter onto the pan using a spoon or ladle. Fry the pancakes over low heat until they are golden and crispy on both sides.

Additional Tips:

• You can add chopped parsley or chives to the batter.
• If you want the pancakes to be spicier, add a pinch of chilli powder or cayenne pepper to the batter.
• Potato pancakes from new potatoes taste fabulous with cream, goulash, mushroom sauce, or scrambled eggs.

Following these simple tricks, you can easily make delicious and crispy potato pancakes from new potatoes. Enjoy!