German Cooking: Reibekuchen

Reibekuchen, or potato pancakes, are especially popular in Bavaria, which is where Jeremy and I first ate them. They are close a cousin of Jewish latkes, consisting of grated potatoes, minced onion, simple spices, and egg and flour to hold it together. You pan fry them and serve with various sauces (we love applesauce, but sour cream is good, too). Sometimes they're also called Kartoffelpuffer, but I feel less silly saying "reibekuchen".

Since they're a bit harder to find in Cologne (as in, they're only served in particular restaurants one day of the week and only during the winter), I decided to try making them using this German rezepte (recipe). Here it is in English:

Reibekuchenmakes 7-10 pancakes 

• 500 grams waxy potatoes (about 8 smallish potatoes or 4 large)
• 1 small onion
• 1 egg
• 1 or 2 tablespoons flour 
• pinch of salt, pepper, and sugar

1. Wash the potatoes and coarsely grate them over a clean kitchen towel or a colander to help drain the moisture. Mix the flour and egg in a medium bowl. Squeeze as much moisture as you can out of the potatoes, then add the potatoes to the flour-egg mixture and toss to coat. Finely dice the onion and add it to the mixture. Season with salt, pepper, and sugar (I added some garlic, too). 

2. Heat oil in a nonstick or cast iron pan, then form palm-sized cakes (a bit less than 1/2" thick) and fry them until golden brown on each side. Set the finished pancakes on a cookie sheet covered in paper towels and put it in the oven on low to keep them warm and crispy until you're ready to eat.

My Reibekuchen were not as pretty as the ones you get in restaurants, but they were tasty! I think next time I might add a bit more flour or work on squeezing out a bit more moisture. We ate them with salad, chicken breast, and some purple artichokes from the farmer's market around the corner from our apartment.