They are sometimes called latke, we call them potato pancakes and serve them with either sour cream, ketchup or apple butter. I think the biggest difference in potato pancakes and latke may be the fact that latke are sometimes made with shredded potato. Potato pancakes however are made with mashed potatoes.
I usually make potato pancakes using leftover mashed potatoes. However, there are mornings when the children really want potato pancakes and I don’t have any leftover mashed potatoes and I really don’t want to peel, boil and mash potatoes for breakfast.
So I use instant potatoes. Just follow the directions on the instant potato box and make up a batch of mashed potatoes.
For every 2 cups of mashed potatoes, add 1 cup flour, 1 egg and 1 tsp salt. Mix well. Add a little milk if the dough is too stiff. Potato dough is usually very tender and you must handle it gently.
Heat an iron skillet on medium high heat, add your favorite oil, just a bit. I use coconut oil. Take out tablespoonful sized lumps of the dough, flatten it around in your hands, if you like, to make it nice and neat. Or just scoop up a small lump of dough with a small spoon. Place the lumps in the hot oil , flatten gently with the back of a spatula, and fry til golden brown on both sides.
Serve hot with sour cream, apple butter, ketchup or applesauce! These make a great lunch time meal as well.
About Sylvia
Those look delicious – what a fabulous picture. I hardly ever have leftover mashed potatoes, but if I could somehow spare some (our favorite potatoes are reds) I am thinking my family could bear the depravation if the potatoes then became latkes.
I wonder if the kefir “cheese” would be a good substitute with these instead of sour cream. Would it be thick enough?
I believe it would. My children do not like the taste of plain kefir, so I would add some salt and maybe a little dill to it.
Thanks for stopping by with that great idea!
Mrs. Jim Henry – I often use my soft cheeses as “sour cream” by blending them with more milk (I use raw). Even our guests love it! Some of them love it more than sour cream.