Potato Pancakes — The Comfort of a Polish Kitchen, Carried Into Spring

Spring break and I took it seriously as a recovery project. I slept past 8 AM twice, which has not happened since the summer, and I went for walks every day and I made the poppy seed cake from my birthday dinner at the Polish restaurant. It took two attempts — the first time the poppy seed filling was too wet and the cake collapsed in the middle, which was delicious but not the structural event I was going for — and the second time it was right. Dense poppy seed filling, rich cake, honey cream on top. Ryan ate a third of it at 10 PM on Wednesday and said he did not regret it. I said I noticed that and was not going to comment on it. He said he appreciated that.

Kristin came over for dinner Saturday — she lives in Wicker Park now and we see each other probably twice a month, which is the most time I have spent with my sister in a decade — and I made the cassoulet again, the simplified version that has become a signature thing this winter. She ate two bowls and asked for the recipe and I said I would text it. Then we sat on the couch until midnight talking about the wedding and about her job and about the strange specific experience of being our age in a pandemic year, which is: simultaneously aware of how much you lost and how much you still have, and not entirely sure how to hold both at once.

Three weeks until April. Eight weeks until the wedding. The things that need to happen between now and June 19th are listed in Patty binder and also in my head, which is where I keep things that I need to not lose. The dress is being altered. The flowers are ordered. The food assignments are locked. The music is Ryan cousin and his guitar. The people who love us are coming.

I am ready. I have been getting ready since June at the kitchen sink when he asked and I said yes with wet hands and a dish towel and it was already perfect then.

The poppy seed cake sent me back to the Polish restaurant, and the Polish restaurant sent me back to everything I love about cooking from that tradition — simple ingredients, real effort, food that feels like it means something. Potato pancakes are in that same family: humble on paper, satisfying in a way that’s hard to explain until you’re eating them at the kitchen counter at an unreasonable hour and you understand completely. I made a batch the last night of spring break, just for us, with sour cream and applesauce on the side, and it felt like exactly the right way to close out a week that had been, against all odds, genuinely restful.

Potato Pancakes

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Servings: 4 (about 12 pancakes)

Ingredients

• 2 lbs russet potatoes (about 4 medium), peeled
• 1 small yellow onion
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
• Vegetable oil or canola oil, for frying
• Sour cream and applesauce, 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.
2. Remove excess moisture. Transfer the grated mixture to a clean kitchen towel or several layers of cheesecloth. Wring tightly over the sink to squeeze out as much liquid as possible — this step is essential for crispy pancakes. Let the drained liquid sit in the bowl for 2 minutes, then carefully pour it off, leaving behind any settled potato starch. Add the starch back to the grated potato mixture.
3. Mix the batter. Add the beaten eggs, flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder (if using) to the potato and onion mixture. Stir until evenly combined.
4. Heat the oil. Pour vegetable oil into a large heavy skillet (cast iron works beautifully) to a depth of about 1/4 inch. Heat over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking.
5. Fry the pancakes. Working in batches, drop heaping 1/4-cup portions of the potato mixture into the hot oil, pressing each down gently with a spatula to form a round, flat pancake about 1/3 inch thick. Do not crowd the pan. Fry for 3–4 minutes per side, until deeply golden brown and crispy at the edges.
6. Drain and keep warm. Transfer cooked pancakes to a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Keep warm in a 200°F oven while you fry remaining batches. Add more oil to the pan between batches as needed.
7. Serve immediately. Plate the pancakes hot with generous dollops of sour cream and applesauce on the side.

Nutrition (per serving)

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