It’s been a while since I last had time to work on a recipe, but with the festive season upon us I thought this one was well overdue. The restrictions of the past two years have put a pause on many traditions for a lot of us, however this has made space to create some new traditions – some of which are hopefully here to stay. As a rule, whilst my Christmas jumpers ritually come out on 1st December, decorations are kept at bay until at least the second weekend of the month. With last year being what it was we made adjustments and lived in a grotto for the whole of December. The thing is, with the evenings getting dark so early and the weather predictably wintery, there is a lot to be said for twinkly lights and shiny decorations to lift the spirits and keep the darkness at bay. They don’t have to be huge, they just need to be special – and whenever you choose to put them up I’m not judging.
But back to traditions, one thing I do miss being able to do at this time of year is to visit the German Christmas Markets. There is something truly festive about a traditional German Market – cupping your hands around a warming mug of mulled wine (or Glühwein) and eating your weight in a variety of potato street foods (obviously) whilst browsing a myriad of stalls selling all sorts of traditional ware. As I sit here in a soggy corner of England I can’t hide my Fernweh for a crisp day spent wandering the cobbled streets of a beautiful town soaking up the culture. Seeing as it’s unlikely I’ll be heading abroad for a while yet I thought I’d try and bring some of my favourite elements of these memories to my kitchen at home, so fuelled by Lebkuchen and mulled apple juice (it’s far too early in the day for anything stronger!) here’s my recipe for one of my favourite German potato snacks. I would just like to note that these are delicious when deep fried but I have opted for a slightly healthier option of pan frying here… but the choice is yours.
Reibekuchen (Kartoffelpuffer)
German Potato Pancakes
Makes 16 pancakes
Preperation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes per batch
1kg Golden Wonder potatoes
1 small white onion
2 eggs
50g plain flour
Salt to season
Morghew cold pressed rapeseed oil
- Peel the potatoes and finely grate into a large mixing bowl.
- Finely chop the onion and add to the grated potatoes.
- Beat two eggs and add to the mixing bowl along with the flour and a generous pinch of salt.
- Mix thoroughly to combine all of the ingredients.
- Heat a good splash of oil in a frying pan on a medium-high temperature. Once hot use two tablespoons to press together a loose ball of pancake mixture before transferring to the pan and gently flattening. I did these in batches of four which made it easier to manage.
- Fry for approximately 7 minutes on both sides, you may need to add additional oil between flipping if the pan becomes dry.
- Once golden brown on both sides place on a piece of kitchen towel to blot the excess oil.
- These are best served immediately topped with grated cheese, accompanied by a dollop of apple sauce or eaten as they are. They can be reheated in the oven if you have any spare… Enjoy!
Sam.