My Mom’s Potato Pancakes
Nostalgia. That’s seriously what this recipe is for me…and I have Heidi Klum to thank for it! Haaaaaa! HEIDI KLUM, you say?? Yes. Heidi was just doing an interview where she was defending a fried spaghetti dish she grew up eating. She said people were knockin’ it before they tried it but said that they shouldn’t! Heidi admitted that she thought the All American PB&J was weird when she first moved to the US from her native Germany but quickly learned that not only was it a staple for us growing up in the states but that it WAS damn delicious! I was reporting this in our Hollywood News and I, kind of off hand, stated that the fried spaghetti reminded me of the fried potato pancakes my Mom used to make growing up – the guys on the show went wild! POTATO PANCAKES??!!! Right then and there, they begged me to show them how to make the cakes on Cooking with Katie…so here we are!
Ingredients
- 3-4 cups leftover mashed potatoes
- 1/2 cup flour
- LOTS OF BUTTER (I can’t give you an exact amount….just, LOTS)
- Toppings: sour cream, apple sauce, chives, sauerkraut, caramelized onions
Instructions
- If your mashed potatoes are too “wet” or creamy from a night in the fridge, add a little flour to the mix to dry them out a bit. Not too much. Just enough to thicken the potatoes.
- Form the potatoes into a hamburger-patty shape/thickness
- Dredge lightly in flour, on both sides. Set aside.
- Melt a large amount of butter in skillet. Enough to thoroughly coat the bottoms of the cakes
- Add cakes to bubbling butter and fry until golden brown. Flip and fry until golden brown on other side.
- Place on paper towels to absorb excess butter, serve with preferred toppings
Live Cooking Demo
The Cocktail
The cocktail this week is a riff on an Old Fashioned but with Rum….and ginger. It’s a must try!
- 2 oz rum
- 1/2 simple syrup: made with brown sugar, infused with ginger
- 3 dashes bitters
- Luxardo Cherry syrup, plus a cherry for garnish
- orange peel for garnish
- Pour enough cherry syrup in rocks glass to coat inside of glass.
- In a separate glass, mix rum, simple syrup and bitters. Stir.
- In rocks glass, add large ice ball/cube and pour rum mixture over ice.
- Garnish with cherry and orange peel.