Potato Pancakes (Bramborák in Czech)

This is a traditional Czech dish that is relatively easy to make. 

It is also a great way to use up leftover mashed potatoes!

2 lb. potatoes

salt

black pepper

1 large onion, diced very fine

1/2 t. fresh rosemary

2-3 T oil 

(serves 4-6)

Peel and quarter potatoes. Place in a  bowl of cold water, sprinkle with kosher salt, and soak for 15 minutes. While the potatoes are soaking, bring 1 quart of water to a boil and add the potatoes. Boil for 8-10 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft. Drain and let cool. 

Quarter the onion and put into a small bowl, then add rosemary, salt and pepper to taste.  

Using the shredder blade on your food processor, shred all the potatoes. Add the onion, rosemary, salt and pepper, and blend thoroughly.

Using a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Once the oil heats up (not too hot, or it will burn the potatoes), drop spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the oil and let it simmer. After dropping the potato mixture onto the skillet, use the back of the spoon to flatten the mounds out a bit. They should be about 3" in diameter, but you can make them larger or smaller for your liking. Make sure that the potato pancakes are spaced out on the skillet so as to avoid sticking (they tend to gravitate towards one another!). 

Check the potato pancakes frequently. Once there is a nice yellow/brown crisp to the pancake (usually after about 3-5 minutes), use tongs or a spatula to flip the pancakes. If you flip them too soon, they will fall apart (but are still tasty!). As the potatoes are already cooked, the frying just creates a nice crisp to the pancakes. Add extra oil as needed to prevent the pancakes from sticking to the skillet.

Once both sides of the pancake is crisp, remove from oil and place on a paper towel-covered plate. This will help to absorb the extra oil, so that the pancakes aren't soggy or greasy. They should have similar properties to hash browns, except of course they are creamy on the inside and not shredded. 

Once you have a good batch, serve with a light salad or steamed veggies (we enjoyed these with a spring mix salad with cherry tomatoes tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette) as a main course. They also serve as a nice side dish, but I like them as an entree!

Feel free to salt and pepper the finished products, and serve with sour cream. 

Variations:

The great thing about potato pancakes is that you can't go wrong! Here are a few variations I have tried in the past:

-garlic

-parsley

-chives

-red pepper

-cumin