Kartoffelpuffer! (German Potato Pancakes)

     Once upon a time when I was in Germany, our travel group was sitting in a restaurant trying to decipher the menu. Normally, our general philosophy was to simply order Wiener Schnitzel when we didn't understand anything else, but a friend of mine decided to take a risk on this particular day. In hindsight, we really should have known what Kartoffelpuffer were. The word is pretty obvious, but back then we only understood the "Kartoffel" part as something with potatoes. For some reason, we assumed that potato pancakes would be called "Pfannkuchen."So when the waitress delivered a plate of giant potato pancakes, we were quite relieved. It could have been a lot worse. Essentially, they're just hash browns, somehow they're so much more than that. I don't really know what Americans put on their hash browns if anything, but there are two main condiment choices for Kartoffelpuffer: Sour cream or applesauce. Just believe me, I don't even like applesauce, but I can't eat Kartoffelpuffer without it. Also, I can't guarantee that this recipe is 100% authentic, and if any Germans want to correct me, please do. This was the first time I made them, so I'm not done experimenting with the recipe yet. In the future, I would like to see if I can find a way to make them using less oil, but today, let's just enjoy their deep-fried goodness.

INGREDIENTS:
3 Russet potatoes
1 green onion, chopped
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
apple sauce and/or sour cream
If you want to try them with apple sauce, add a pinch of nutmeg to the potatoes.

DIRECTIONS:
1. Wash, peel, and grate the potatoes on a box grater. Much like chopped apples, cut potatoes will oxidize and turn brown when the air hits them. Work as quickly as possible to minimize this. For apples, adding a little lemon juice stops this, but something tells me that wouldn't work well with potatoes. I have heard that soaking cut potatoes in cold water keeps them fresh, but the next step here involves squeezing all the water out, so my advice is just to ignore the oxidation.
2. Wrap the grated potatoes in a clean dishcloth and squeeze all of the excess water out. This helps them stick together later.
3. Put the potatoes in a large bowl and stir in the salt, pepper, onion, optional nutmeg, and eggs. Make sure everything is evenly coated.

4. Heat 1/4 inch of vegetable oil in a frying pan, but try to use as little as possible. Use the water droplet test to decide when it's hot enough. For smaller pancakes, fill a 1/3 cup measuring cup with potatoes, plop it in the pan, them immediately flatten them with a spatula. If you want to be adventurous, you can try making really big pancakes, but form and flip them very carefully.

5. Cook each side for at least 5 minutes over medium heat, but go by the look of it rather than the clock. It took me longer than expected for them to get golden brown and crispy. When they're done, let them drain on paper towels for a few minutes. Then serve with sour cream or applesauce for dipping.

   
     Whenever someone asks me to teach them a German word, I immediately pick the word "Kartoffelpuffer." It's fun to say and even more fun to eat! So enjoy them, and remember to check back every day for more!