Best Leftover Mashed Potato Pancakes - CopyKat Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Why are my mashed potato pancakes falling apart? ›

If your pancakes aren't sticking together while you form them, you can add a bit more egg, or put the potato mixture into the refrigerator to firm up again. If your pancakes are feeling too wet and won't form into a patty you can add a bit of flour to act as a binder.

Russet potatoes work best in this recipe because they have a high starch content, which helps to bind the pancakes together. I do not recommend substituting with red or yellow potatoes.

Potato pancakes have a creamy, almost mashed-potato-like center, with a thin, golden, crisp exterior. Latkes, on the other hand, should have a deeply browned crust, with wispy, lacy edges. Latkes also aren't hash browns.

If you don't drain the moisture, they won't crisp as easily and that may be why your potato pancakes are gummy. Feel the Heat. Sufficiently heating oil in the pan prior to placing the patty in the pan is the key to a properly crispy pancake.

Gluten, which is found in flour, keeps pancakes from falling apart. Gluten, a type of protein, forms a “spiderweb” within baked goods, giving them structure. As the starches gelatinize, and turn from a batter to bread, the gluten strands hold them in place.

It depends on whether your potatoes are turning gray before you cook them or after. When you grate raw potatoes, you release starch that can cause them to oxidize, or turn dark. The best way to keep that from happening is to cover the potatoes with cold water, then drain them very well and pat them dry before cooking.

– Always serve latkes hot and fresh if possible.

When ready to reheat, place in a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes (7 if using a convection oven) until heated through just prior to serving. A convection oven setting will produce a more crispy result.

Potato pancakes are associated with almost every European cuisine and are referred to as a variety of names including latkes (Jewish culture), kartoffelpuffer (Germany), bramborak (Slovakia and Czech Republic), draniki (Austria), tattifish (England) and rosti (Switzerland) (“Potato Pancake Background”, n.d).

It is the national dish of Belarus, Ukraine and Slovakia. In Germany, potato pancakes are eaten either salty (as a side dish) or sweet with apple sauce, or blueberries, sugar and cinnamon; they are a very common menu item during outdoor markets and festivals in colder seasons.

from IHOP.

What country invented potato pancakes? ›

Potato latkes are a more recent Ashkenazi invention that gained popularity in Eastern Europe during the mid 1800? s. A series of crop failures in Poland and the Ukraine led to mass planting of potatoes, which were easy and cheap to grow. But before potatoes came on the scene, the latke of choice was cheese.

Exposure to air or oxygen is the cause of this situation when the potatoes are cut and stored in advance for any future cooking.

When potatoes are mashed, starch is released. The more you work the potatoes, the more starch gets released. When too much starch gets released, the potatoes become gummy, gluey, and unappetizing.

Use a ricer.

The other key is to use the right tools, to avoid overworking the spuds. That's why it's worth putting aside the hand mixer or traditional potato masher and investing a few dollars in a potato ricer instead.

To further prevent potatoes from falling apart, try using waxy potato varieties like red potatoes or Yukon Gold. These types tend to hold their shape better when boiled. Additionally, avoiding overcooking and handling them gently when straining will help maintain their integrity.

Microwave on high power for no more than 2 minutes and remove to cool. Place in a bowl, season well and mix with your fingers, separating the shreds as much as you can. The potato will be sticky, which is good, as this will help keep the Rosti from falling apart.

If your potatoes have been growing in very dry soil, the potatoes themselves will have a fairly low moisture content when harvested. What this then means is that when the potatoes are build they absorb more water and fall to pieces quite quickly.