Texas Potato Pancakes
The Texas German take on Kartoffelpuffer: towel-wrung russets, onion, egg and a good half cup of flour, fried in 1/4 inch of oil into big, lacy 4-inch pancakes with sour cream and applesauce.
More than 7,000 Germans reached Texas between 1844 and 1847 through the Adelsverein, a society that founded the towns of New Braunfels and Fredericksburg, and German Texans spread across a "German Belt" from Galveston and Houston west into the Hill Country (Terry G. Jordan, Handbook of Texas, Texas State Historical Association:). They brought German cooking with them, and Cook's Country's Texas potato pancakes are its version of the Texas take on Kartoffelpuffer: bigger, with moist, fluffy middles and crunchy, lacy edges (America's Test Kitchen, Morgan Bolling, August 13, 2017:). Compared with the Rhineland original (our Rhineland Reibekuchen with Applesauce recipe), the Texas version uses more flour, russets wrung dry in a towel and a deeper layer of oil.
🇺🇸 This one is American
The Texas German take on Kartoffelpuffer: towel-wrung russets, onion, egg and a good half cup of flour, fried in 1/4 inch of oil into big, lacy 4-inch pancakes with sour cream and applesauce.
🕎 The original
The Eastern European original is grated potato and onion, squeezed dry, bound with egg and a little matzo meal or flour, and fried in oil for Hanukkah. See the Classic Potato Latkes recipe.
Why it works the kitchen science
Wring out the water
Potato water steams instead of frying, so twisting the shreds dry in a towel is what lets the edges go lacy and crisp (ATK).
Russets plus extra flour
High-starch russets and a full half cup of flour add crunch and keep a big 4-inch pancake from falling apart when you flip it (ATK).
Step by step
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 200°F with a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet on the middle rack. Line a large plate with three layers of paper towels.
- Step 2
Put half the potatoes in the center of a clean dish towel, gather the ends and twist hard to wring out as much liquid as possible. Move to a large bowl and repeat with the rest.
- Step 3
Stir in the flour, eggs, onion and 1 1/4 tsp salt until combined.
- Step 4
Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat to 325°F. Drop three 1/3-cup portions into the oil and press each into a 4-inch disk with the back of a spoon.
- Step 5
Fry 3 to 4 minutes per side, until deep golden brown, turning carefully with two spatulas.
- Step 6
Drain on the paper towels about 15 seconds per side, then move to the rack in the oven.
- Step 7
Fry the rest in 3 more batches, stirring the batter if it separates and adding oil to keep it about 1/4 inch deep. Season with salt and pepper and serve with sour cream and applesauce.
Texas Potato Pancakes
Serves 4 · about 12 pancakes · 1 hr 30 min total
Pancakes
- 2 lb russet potatoes, peeled and shredded
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/3 cup shredded onion
- 1 1/4 tsp salt, plus black pepper
- 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil, plus extra as needed
To serve
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup applesauce
Method
- Heat the oven to 200°F with a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet on the middle rack. Line a large plate with three layers of paper towels.
- Put half the potatoes in the center of a clean dish towel, gather the ends and twist hard to wring out as much liquid as possible. Move to a large bowl and repeat with the rest.
- Stir in the flour, eggs, onion and 1 1/4 tsp salt until combined.
- Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat to 325°F. Drop three 1/3-cup portions into the oil and press each into a 4-inch disk with the back of a spoon.
- Fry 3 to 4 minutes per side, until deep golden brown, turning carefully with two spatulas.
- Drain on the paper towels about 15 seconds per side, then move to the rack in the oven.
- Fry the rest in 3 more batches, stirring the batter if it separates and adding oil to keep it about 1/4 inch deep. Season with salt and pepper and serve with sour cream and applesauce.
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen (Cook's Country, October/November 2017), "Texas Potato Pancakes" by Morgan Bolling, as written. ATK says it serves 4 to 6; we call it 4. The sour cream and applesauce amounts are ours. ATK's page does not name the Texas restaurants or towns behind the recipe; the German Texan history is from the Handbook of Texas. America's Test Kitchen. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (2)
Tips
- Shred the potatoes and onion on the large holes of a box grater or with a food processor's shredding disk (ATK).
- The shreds may turn reddish if they sit; the flavor is fine (ATK).
- Two spatulas make flipping a 4-inch pancake in hot oil much safer.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- German Texans brought potato pancakes to Texas. Folklore: likely and widely assumed, but neither ATK nor the Handbook of Texas documents potato pancakes specifically; the Handbook mentions Hill Country cafes serving sausage and sauerkraut.
- More than 7,000 Germans came through the Adelsverein in 1844 to 1847. Documented (Handbook of Texas).
- Texas pancakes are just Kartoffelpuffer. Disputed as a matter of style: ATK presents them as a Texas version of Kartoffelpuffer, but compared with LECKER's Reibekuchen (our Rhineland Reibekuchen with Applesauce recipe) they use far more flour and oil and are twice the size.
Every other potato pancake
Classic Potato Latkes
Shredded russets and onion, wrung dry, bound with egg and the potato's own starch, and shallow-fried at 350°F into lacy, golden Hanukkah latkes with applesauce and sour cream.
Swiss Rösti
Potatoes boiled in their skins the day before, coarsely grated and fried slowly in clarified butter into one thick golden cake, flipped with a plate the Swiss way.
Rhineland Reibekuchen with Applesauce
Finely grated potatoes and onion with egg and a little flour, fried in clarified butter into thin, crisp German potato pancakes, sprinkled with sugar and served with warm homemade applesauce.
Irish Boxty
Grated raw potato and mashed potato in a buttermilk and baking soda batter with spring onions, fried in butter into soft, golden griddle boxty for an Irish breakfast.
Belarusian Draniki Stuffed with Chicken
Thick Belarusian-style potato pancakes with a hidden layer of garlicky ground chicken, fried in sunflower oil, finished in the oven and served with sour cream, applesauce and chives.
Polish Placki Ziemniaczane (Potato Pancakes with Sour Cream and Sugar)
Thin, crisp Polish potato pancakes from finely grated potatoes drained in a tilted bowl, fried by the spoonful and served the two classic ways, with sour cream or a sprinkle of sugar.
Swedish Raggmunk with Fried Pork and Lingonberries
Coarsely grated potato stirred into a milk and flour batter, fried in butter into big lacy Swedish potato pancakes and served with crisp fried pork and lingonberry jam.
Korean Gamja-jeon (Potato Pancakes)
Grated potato bound only by its own settled starch, with a little onion and garlic chives, pan-fried into crisp, chewy Korean pancakes with a soy and vinegar dipping sauce.
Diner Hash Browns
Shredded russets squeezed dry, pressed flat in browned butter and cooked until dark golden and crisp on both sides, then folded and cut into wedges, the American diner way.
Make-Ahead Hash Brown Patties
Shredded Yukon Golds rinsed in salt water, wrung dry, microwaved until they bind, pressed into oval patties, chilled and pan-fried crisp, like the freezer-aisle patty, from scratch.
Sweet Potato Latkes with Horseradish Cream
Half sweet potato and half Yukon Gold, with onion, a pinch of cayenne and egg, fried into orange-flecked latkes and topped with sour cream and horseradish, the American swap.
Sheet-Pan Latkes with Store-Bought Shreds
Refrigerated shredded hash browns squeezed dry, mixed with grated onion, egg and flour, and baked on a well-oiled sheet pan at 425°F, flipped once: twelve latkes, no grater and no skillet.
Scattered, Smothered and Covered Hash Browns, Inspired by Waffle House
Thin, crisp shredded hash browns scattered across a hot buttered pan, smothered with soft sautéed onions and covered with melted American cheese. Inspired by, not official.
Meatballs of the World
Italian-American Meatballs
Big, tender meatballs braised for an hour in red sauce over spaghetti. The one most Americans grew up with.
Pallottine (Abruzzo Meatballs)
Tiny meatballs, smaller than a marble, tossed right through square spaghetti alla chitarra. No bread at all.
Swedish Meatballs (Köttbullar)
Small, soft meatballs browned in butter, in a cream sauce made from the same pan, with lingonberry jam on the plate.
Danish Frikadeller
Pork meatballs shaped with a spoon and fried slowly in butter, crusty outside and soft in the middle.
Königsberger Klopse
German meatballs that are never fried: poached, then served in a creamy white sauce with capers.
Spanish Albóndigas in Almond Saffron Sauce
The tapas bar classic: small meatballs in a golden sauce thickened with fried almonds and bread.
Mexican Albóndigas with Chipotle and Mint
Soft meatballs with rice and fresh mint inside, simmered in a smoky tomato and chipotle broth.
Izgara Köfte (Turkish Grilled Meatballs)
Small, flat meatballs kneaded hard, rested cold, and charred on a hot grill pan.
Lion's Head Meatballs
Big, soft pork meatballs, stirred into a sticky paste, fried to set, then braised in a savory sauce.
Chicken Tsukune
Japan's chicken meatball: kneaded sticky, grilled on skewers, glazed with sweet soy tare, dipped in egg yolk.