# Pennsylvania Dutch Potato cakes Q-view



## big casino (Jan 28, 2012)

I grew up in Western PA, I am of German descent and grew up with the idea of not letting things go to waste,  there are certain things that I feel are regional or cultural, I maybe wrong about this as I am not a well traveled person, but also everywhere I have been I have  never been able to find potato pancakes the way Grandma use to make them, everywhere I go if I order potato pancakes they come as little hash brown type cakes which are good but just not the same as grandma's

here is what I like to do with left over mashed potatoes - the recipe will follow

Mix all of the ingredients together to form a nice cake like batter








get your skillet good and hot, with out being so hot that it is burning, but yet puts a nice crispy edge on your cakes, often I add around a TBS of oil to the pan right b4 I drop the batter on







When you see the bubbles start to form and the edges look a little bit dry, you can lift the edge of the cake and see if it is brown enough for you yet, If so flip it gently, be careful as to not splash your self with the hot oil!







once you notice the "skirt " looking a bit dry you can start checking the bottom to see if it is brown enough for you if so remove from the skillet, always test the first cake to make sure it is has cooked in the center you need to cook these at lower temps so they cook through with out burning, if  they are cooked through to your liking add another TBS or so of oil and start process over

I made these ones for breakfast here is the $ shot







Viola! Tater cakes just like Grandma used to make!

Here is the recipe

Potato Cakes

2cups mashed potato
2cups all purpose flour
4tsp baking powder
2tsp baking soda
1tsp Salt
1tsp onion powder (optional) or grate a fresh onion add to your taste
1tsp chives

2 eggs beaten mixed with
4 to 5 TBS of melted butter or cooking oil
add enough milk or water to make a batter

Mix all ingredients together except the Milk/water  and egg and butter/oil in a seperate bowl add egg and butter/oil and wisp until beaten then add to flour mixture, then add enough milk/water until a nice batter is formed

Heat a skillet with oil until the oil lightly smokes, or a drop of water sizzles immediately when hits the pan,  turn down skillet to a medium low heat, place 1/3 cup of batter onto pan when small bubbles form on top and you can see the edges browning and the cake lifts easily flip carefully so you do not splatter your self, and continue to fry until edge of cake is dry or the bottom has a nice brown color,
 test first cake to see if it cooked through and the middle is not uncooked, if center is uncooked thin batter with a small amount of water,the batter is more dense than actual pancakes and need a longer time in the pan

Thanks for looking and enjoy!

Harry


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## venture (Jan 28, 2012)

Those look super, Harry!

Another memory from my childhood.

Good luck and good smoking.


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## alblancher (Jan 28, 2012)

I've done them with instant mash potatoes,  broke college days, great for hangovers.  I think I like your recipe better, will have to give it a try.  I wonder if they will be as good with out the hangover?

HeHe


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## scrappynadds (Jan 28, 2012)

You likem like me brown and crispy..........looks great and the next time we make mash p's i will be making extra for the next day cakes


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## mneeley490 (Jan 28, 2012)

Looks great! Just the way my grandmother used to make them, too. I don't think she ever wrote anything down, and we lost a lot of great recipes when she passed.

I'll definately try yours, thanks!


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## hoity toit (Jan 28, 2012)

Heck yeah...we do 'em here too...


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## BGKYSmoker (Jan 28, 2012)

Real nice BC

My wife gotta see these being she is a native PA'enite..................


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## scarbelly (Jan 28, 2012)

Great recipe Harry - wife is German decent also and she liked the recipe as well


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## bamafan (Jan 28, 2012)

Will have to try these as well. Looks like something Mom used to make back in the poor Alabama days!


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## chef jimmyj (Jan 28, 2012)

Those look really great...We always had them made with grated raw potato and onion...these I need to try...Just a note here guys, after checking with Harry...Leave out the 2tsp Baking Soda if you are not using Buttermilk for the Liquid...JJ


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## sausageboy (Jan 28, 2012)

They look good!


:sausage:


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## big casino (Jan 29, 2012)

Thanks guys, It is good to see other people have had these kind of pancakes too!  I miss a lot of the foods my Grandmother used to make, another thing she used to make was fried potatoes with onion, then she would beat a half dozen of eggs in a bowl, then take about 6 pieces of bread and pull it apart in chunks throw it in the eggs and then pour it over the fried potatoes at the end of the cooking time they made these awesome little egg type dumplings, it took me years to figure out how she did that, like was someone said she never wrote down her recipes, and now we all pale in comparison when we try to duplicate one


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## SmokinAl (Jan 29, 2012)

MMMMM, now that's what I call breakfast!!!


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## ac45acp (Jan 29, 2012)

looks great. i make 'tater cakes a lot. i grew up around the Amish and still use mom and granny's recipes.


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## mballi3011 (Jan 29, 2012)

Now your cakes are interesting for sure. Good sounding to but I used leftover mash potatoes.


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## big casino (Jan 29, 2012)

thanks guys

by the way i was talking to JJ last night and discovered you can use less baking soda if your not using sour cream or butter milk in the recipe, but I think you could use either in place of some of the milk or water.

Thanks JJ


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## erain (Jan 29, 2012)

love potato pancakes... my mom makes them from a grated raw tater. i like this twist and for sure gonna give it a try on some leftover mashed taters. thks for sharingThumbs UpThumbs Up. got it copied down!


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## poopypuss (Jan 29, 2012)

My PA Dutch (half) wife approves.

That's her recipe exactly.

Mix in some shredded potatoes (frozen hash browns work great) and you've got my Grandmother's Hungarian recipe... just served with sour cream, not apple butter, like the PA Dutch do.

Grill the shredded ones over a charcoal grill and you've got great Chicken lounge (Bearcarver has probably thrown back a few there) potato pancakes.


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## rdknb (Jan 29, 2012)

That's the way my grandmother taught my Mother who then taught my Wife, I love  potato cakes


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## africanmeat (Feb 7, 2012)

It looks great i will copy and paste and will do it on day when i have mash leftover.

thanks


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## shinny (Feb 9, 2012)

I haven't had them in thirty years..thanks for the recipe. I'm going to introduce them to my kids

Shinny


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## venture (Feb 9, 2012)

My German ancestors used the grated potato and egg routine.  But only with loads of bacon grease and bacon crumbles involved!

Personally, I like the mashed potato version, too, but the recipe is tricky!  This one looks like a keeper!

Good luck and good smoking.


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## smokinhusker (Feb 9, 2012)

Almost identical to the ones my gramma used to make for us kids. Luckily I have a lot of her "recipes" as I was raised by her and my grampa, so I have held onto the ones I have and even passed them to my boys. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!


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## smoking b (Nov 3, 2012)

Just tried these today & they made a really good breakfast. Thanks for posting your recipe!


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