This is how we make potato pancakes, too! We grate them finely--in a Lithuanian potato grating machine--so the potatoes are the consistency of soupy grits, and we add beaten egg whites, salt, and pepper. No flour, no matzoh, no fillers. Use one egg per one pound of potatoes. You also can grate the potatoes by hand, on the superfine side of a box grater, but then your pancakes will have "knuckle sprinkles."
Keep the peeled potatoes in a bowl of ice water into which you've dissolved a Vitamin C tablet (or "Fruit Fresh"). Yukon Golds tend to discolor less than other varieties.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (for greasing the pan) Nonstick Vegetable Cooking Spray (“Pam”) 5 lb. Yukon Gold (yellow) or Idaho potatoes Citric acid or “Fruit Fresh,” as needed 12 ounces bacon slices 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (see instructions below) 1 large yellow onion, peeled chopped fine 1 cup half and half (or 1 cup canned, evaporated milk) 1-1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 plus 1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper 5 eggs Reserved potato starch from grating and draining the potatoes
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Adjust oven rack to center position. Butter a 9 by 13 glass baking dish generously with the 2 tablespoons butter. After buttering the pan, spray it with nonstick vegetable spray.
Peel the potatoes, halve them, and place them in a bowl of ice water. You may add some citric acid (or "Fruit Fresh") to the water bath to keep the potatoes from turning brown. Set bowl of iced potatoes aside.
Beat eggs together with a whisk in small bowl until very frothy.
Grate potatoes in a potato grating machine (it’s easiest to put a cookie sheet under the machine to catch the grated potatoes. Potatoes will start oxidizing/turning brown. If you want to avoid this,then add some citric acid powder to the potatoes). After grating the potatoes, strain all the liquid from potatoes. Strain potatoes by squeezing them in a clean kitchen towel draped over a colander set over a bowl (reserve the drained juice to collect the potato starch). (Note: some cooks drain no liquid or as little as the liquid from about one-third to one-half of the potatoes.) Pour the drained potato juice from the large bowl. Collect the potato starch that accumulates at the bottom of the bowl.
Transfer the strained, grated potatoes to a large bowl. Pour the boiling half and half/bacon/onion mixture over potatoes. Mix very well. Add beaten eggs; combine thoroughly. Mix well again. Add the collected potato starch to the grated potato mixture and mix once again. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Place the baking dish on a cookie sheet (to catch any leaks) and transfer to the center rack of the preheated oven.
Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake for an additional one hour to one hour and 15 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serve hot with sour cream.
This is how we make potato pancakes, too! We grate them finely--in a Lithuanian potato grating machine--so the potatoes are the consistency of soupy grits, and we add beaten egg whites, salt, and pepper. No flour, no matzoh, no fillers. Use one egg per one pound of potatoes. You also can grate the potatoes by hand, on the superfine side of a box grater, but then your pancakes will have "knuckle sprinkles."
ReplyDeleteKeep the peeled potatoes in a bowl of ice water into which you've dissolved a Vitamin C tablet (or "Fruit Fresh"). Yukon Golds tend to discolor less than other varieties.
Well the Mid-West law professor can really google out of sight
ReplyDeleteAnd with the Amazon prime and a fast FedEx
We'll have that grater overnight
But I wish they all could be Lithuania
wish they all could be Lithuania
I said I wish they all could be Lithuania girls
Did you get the grater from Krautuvele Lietuvele?
ReplyDeleteWhen the grater arrives, try that Kugel recipe:
Kugelis
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (for greasing the pan)
Nonstick Vegetable Cooking Spray (“Pam”)
5 lb. Yukon Gold (yellow) or Idaho potatoes
Citric acid or “Fruit Fresh,” as needed
12 ounces bacon slices
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (see instructions below)
1 large yellow onion, peeled chopped fine
1 cup half and half (or 1 cup canned, evaporated milk)
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 plus 1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper
5 eggs
Reserved potato starch from grating and draining the potatoes
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Adjust oven rack to center position. Butter a 9 by 13 glass baking dish generously with the 2 tablespoons butter. After buttering the pan, spray it with nonstick vegetable spray.
Peel the potatoes, halve them, and place them in a bowl of ice water. You may add some citric acid (or "Fruit Fresh") to the water bath to keep the potatoes from turning brown. Set bowl of iced potatoes aside.
Sauté bacon in a large sauteuse pan until well-cooked but almost crispy. Leave all of the bacon grease in the pan; do not drain. Add butter to the bacon grease and heat until the butter melts. (Here, some people add as much as 8 Tbsp. butter to the bacon grease before cooking the onions. Ha ha.)
Sauté onions in the bacon grease until opaque, about 8 minutes; do not allow them to caramelize. Do not drain bacon grease. Add half and half to the onions and heat for 2 minutes, until boiling. Add salt and pepper to the onion mixture. Crush or crumble up the bacon and add to onion mixture. Keep mixture hot.
Beat eggs together with a whisk in small bowl until very frothy.
Grate potatoes in a potato grating machine (it’s easiest to put a cookie sheet under the machine to catch the grated potatoes. Potatoes will start oxidizing/turning brown. If you want to avoid this,then add some citric acid powder to the potatoes). After grating the potatoes, strain all the liquid from potatoes. Strain potatoes by squeezing them in a clean kitchen towel draped over a colander set over a bowl (reserve the drained juice to collect the potato starch). (Note: some cooks drain no liquid or as little as the liquid from about one-third to one-half of the potatoes.) Pour the drained potato juice from the large bowl. Collect the potato starch that accumulates at the bottom of the bowl.
Transfer the strained, grated potatoes to a large bowl. Pour the boiling half and half/bacon/onion mixture over potatoes. Mix very well. Add beaten eggs; combine thoroughly. Mix well again. Add the collected potato starch to the grated potato mixture and mix once again. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Place the baking dish on a cookie sheet (to catch any leaks) and transfer to the center rack of the preheated oven.
Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake for an additional one hour to one hour and 15 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serve hot with sour cream.
Check also here:
http://skyfullofbacon.com/blog/?p=371
I forgot to mention that "Kugelis" is my favorite food. "Cepelinai" are a close second, but making those is not cooking, it's an art.
ReplyDeleteTater tot! http://www.nataliedee.com/052312/swagswagswagswagswag.jpg
ReplyDelete