Crispy Creamy Potato Pancakes — The Polish Food Phase Continues

I did it. I made an Instagram account. It's called @jakemakesfood, which is not creative but is accurate. Kevin helped me set it up on Saturday afternoon at the brewery taproom. He kept saying, "You need a brand, dude," and I kept saying, "I'm a twenty-year-old who makes Polish food in a tiny apartment, that's not a brand," and he said, "That IS the brand." I posted my first photo on Sunday: pierogi. Obviously. The photo is... not great. My apartment lighting is terrible, the plate isn't centered, and you can see a beer can in the background. But the pierogi look golden and crispy and real, and I wrote a caption that said: "My Babcia's pierogi, made in my kitchen, which is approximately the size of a closet. Not as good as hers. Getting closer." Four likes in the first hour. Three of them were Kevin, Mom, and a brewery coworker. The fourth was a stranger. A stranger liked my pierogi. This is either the beginning of something or the most pointless thing I've ever done. Probably both. At the brewery, the smoked wheat beer test batch came out well — the smoke is subtle, the wheat is soft and creamy, and there's a faint sweetness from the specialty malt. The head brewer wants to tweak it and rebrew. Not a rejection — a refinement. I'm learning to hear the difference. I cooked all week like I was training for something: Monday was kielbasa and sautéed peppers, Tuesday was a stir-fry (my best one yet — high heat, don't crowd the pan, a lesson that took me three attempts to learn), Wednesday was grilled burgers on the balcony, Thursday was leftover day, and Friday was a new experiment: homemade pizza. The pizza was ambitious. I made dough from scratch — flour, yeast, water, olive oil, salt. It needs to rise for an hour, which teaches patience, and then you stretch it by hand, which teaches frustration. My first crust was thick and bready. My second attempt, on a Friday night redo, was thinner and crispier. Topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, and fresh basil. Baked on a sheet pan at 500 degrees. It was good. Not New York good. Not Chicago good. But Milwaukee good, which is its own category. Sunday at Babcia's: chłodnik — cold beet soup, the first of the season. Summer is announcing itself. Babcia's cold soups are proof that God exists and lives in Bay View.

The pierogi got four likes and one stranger, which is apparently enough to keep going. But after a week of kielbasa, stir-fry, burgers, and my first real shot at homemade pizza dough, I wanted to come back to something rooted—something that felt like Babcia’s kitchen without requiring the full Sunday trip to Bay View. Potato pancakes are exactly that: simple, honest, and the kind of thing that makes a tiny apartment smell like you actually know what you’re doing. If the pierogi were the opening statement, these are the follow-through.

Crispy Creamy Potato Pancakes

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4 (about 10–12 pancakes)

Ingredients

• 2 lbs russet potatoes (about 4 medium), peeled
• 1 small yellow onion
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• Neutral oil for frying (vegetable or canola), about 1/3 cup
• Sour cream and fresh chives, for serving

Instructions

1. Grate the potatoes and onion. Using the large holes of a box grater (or a food processor), grate the peeled potatoes and onion into a large bowl. Work quickly—potatoes oxidize fast.
2. Squeeze out the moisture. This is the most important step. Transfer the grated mixture in batches to a clean kitchen towel and wring out as much liquid as possible. The drier the mixture, the crispier the pancake. Discard the liquid.
3. Mix the batter. Return the wrung-out potato mixture to a dry bowl. Add the beaten eggs, flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Stir until everything is evenly combined. The batter should hold together loosely when pressed.
4. Heat the oil. Pour oil into a large heavy skillet (cast iron is ideal) to a depth of about 1/4 inch. Heat over medium-high until shimmering—a small drop of batter should sizzle immediately on contact.
5. Fry the pancakes. Working in batches, drop heaping 1/4 cups of batter into the skillet and press each one gently into a flat round, about 3 to 4 inches across. Do not crowd the pan. Fry 3 to 4 minutes per side until deeply golden and crispy at the edges.
6. Drain and hold. Transfer finished pancakes to a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with salt immediately. To keep warm while you finish the batch, place the rack in a 200°F oven.
7. Serve. Plate the pancakes and top with a generous spoonful of cold sour cream and a scatter of fresh chives. Eat immediately—they lose their crunch fast, and they deserve better than that.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 310 | Protein: 7g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 40g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 480mg