Potato Pancakes as Prep Food

When I started the vegetable garden this spring, we were still in the throes of COVID (still are, but far fewer of us are buying the fake news).  My older son was still sick and recovering from his injury several years earlier, my two older daughters opted for online college classes that semester, fearing a repeat of what had happened a year earlier and wanting to avoid that mess.  And Lydia was still in high school, so naturally she was still at home. 

Six months later, as I harvested the potatoes, the family dynamic has changed drastically.  Jared is doing much, much better.  He’s not 100%, but has been able to work full-time and is getting married to a beautiful girl next week.  Becky has returned to school.  Queen of the Picky Eaters is serving as a missionary in Illinois and Missouri (and is having to eat whatever is served her—bwahaha!!!).  Lydia will be the only child at home.  And I’ve got a boatload of potatoes.  I haven’t weighed them yet, but I’d say there’s easily over 100 pounds.  And while I’m not complaining, that’s a lot of spuds, and I’ve got to figure out new ways to serve and preserve them.  I certainly don’t want them to go to waste.

Right now, there is quite the pile of potatoes sitting on the tile floor by the pantry.  We had to harvest them quickly last week due to a forecast of temperatures in the low 20s.  (And I was really sad about that.  The russets were nowhere near ready—the vines had just barely started to die back.  If I’d just had another week or two, the harvest would have been a lot more substantial.) The potatoes couldn’t be left outside to cure the skins, so they were just staring at me.  I figured I’d use a few to make breakfast. 

I’d read about potato pancakes but never had them, so I looked up a few recipes online. 

At their most basic, they’re just hash browns with a few additional ingredients, depending on which culture the potato pancake is coming from.  A beaten egg added to the grated potatoes ups the protein substantially.  Some people add a little milk and/or flour.  Germans opt for onions.  Another option is mixing in some shredded carrots.  And finally, some people just greased the pan or added a little oil while others went for the full deep-fry. 

As we’re looking at what we can make when some ingredients are scarce or need to be conserved, I omitted those items that didn’t seem to be essential.  I skipped the flour and baking powder and certainly felt no need to deep fry.   I did want to increase the protein a bit, so I included an egg.  For added flavor, I used bacon grease instead of cooking oil.  (And because I had some bacon in the fridge, I threw a couple of tablespoons of bacon bits in, but those are entirely optional.)

Following is the recipe I created after looking at so many others.

Potato Pancakes

2 medium-large potatoes, shredded

1 egg, beaten

1 tablespoon minced onion

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons diced bacon, optional

Pepper to taste

1-2 tablespoons oil for frying (bacon grease is really nice here)

 

Combine everything except the oil for frying in a small mixing bowl.  Add the oil for frying to a skillet over medium heat.  Spoon the mixture into the skillet, using a metal spatula to flatten into patties.  Cook over medium to medium-low heat for 10 minutes on each side, until browned and crispy.