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1
Grate the Potato and Onion
10 Mins
Room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Peel the 800g potatoes and the 100g onion. Grate both on the coarse side of a box grater into a large bowl, working quickly so the potato has little time to darken.
Grate the onion first and stir it through the potato as you go — the onion slows the browning and seasons the batter from the start.
Done when: A bowl of coarse, pale grated potato and onion, with no large chunks.
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2
Squeeze the Batter Dry
5 Mins
Room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Tip the grated potato and onion into a clean tea towel, gather the corners and twist hard over the sink, squeezing until no more liquid runs out. Return the dry shreds to the bowl.
Do not skip the squeeze: a wet batter will not crisp. If the towel is soaked, squeeze in two batches.
Done when: The shreds feel damp but no liquid drips when you press a handful.
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3
Mix the Batter
5 Mins
Room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Stir the 2 beaten eggs, the 40g flour, the 5g salt, the 1g black pepper and the 0.5g nutmeg into the squeezed potato and onion. Mix with a fork until the batter just holds together in a clump when pressed.
Mix lightly and fry soon — the batter darkens and weeps if it stands for long.
Done when: The batter clumps when pressed and holds its shape on a spoon.
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4
Heat the Oil
3 Mins
Medium-high heat, about 180°C (350°F)
Pour about 30 ml of the sunflower oil into a large frying pan and heat over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Drop in a shred of potato: it should sizzle at once and turn golden in about 30 seconds.
If the oil smokes, it is too hot — take the pan off the heat for a minute. Oil that is too cool makes greasy pancakes.
Done when: The oil shimmers and a test shred sizzles and browns quickly.
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5
Fry the First Batch
12 Mins
Medium-high heat, about 180°C (350°F)
Spoon heaped tablespoons of batter into the pan, 4 at a time, and flatten each gently to about 1 cm thick. Fry for 4–5 minutes per side until deep golden and crisp at the edges. Lift onto a plate lined with kitchen paper and keep warm.
Do not crowd the pan — cold batter drops the oil temperature and the pancakes steam. Flatten thin for the crispiest edges.
Done when: Both sides are deep golden with lacy, crisp edges, and the middle is cooked through.
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6
Fry the Remaining Batches and Serve
10 Mins
Medium-high heat, about 180°C (350°F)
Top up the pan with the remaining oil as needed, let it heat again, and fry the remaining batter in two more batches of 4, exactly the same way — about 4–5 minutes per side. Serve at once, 3 pancakes per person, with the 320g apple sauce on the side.
Serve straight from the pan: kartoffelpuffer lose their crisp within minutes, so have the table ready before the last batch.
Done when: All 12 pancakes are golden and crisp, served hot with cool apple sauce.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Eat kartoffelpuffer the moment they leave the pan, while the edges are still crisp and the middle is soft and steaming. A good kartoffelpuffer is deep golden with lacy edges — never pale, greasy or soggy in the middle.
Germany
3h 30m
