Mashed Potato Pancakes - Recipe for Holiday Leftovers (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep potato pancakes from turning brown? ›

– After shredding your potatoes, immerse them in cold water to keep them from discoloring. If you're using a hand grater, you can shred them directly into the bowl of water. Soaking the shreds helps to keep them from turning brown; it also has the added benefit of making crispier latkes.

When you're ready to reheat them and serve, preheat the oven to 350°F and bake the latkes on a large baking pan in a single layer with some space around each pancakes so the air can circulate. Cook them for 5 minutes or so until they are heated through and crispy on both sides.

Fry the latkes no more than an hour or two ahead of serving. You can warm them by placing the latkes in a single layer on a sheet pan in a very low (200 F) oven. If they stay there too long, they will no longer be as crisp, but they will still be very appealing.

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.

Fry in an oil with a high smoke point

Vegetable oil or canola oil is usually best, because of its high smoking point. Latkes were traditionally made with schmaltz, or chicken fat, so if you have access to it, you should certainly add it in, because it does contribute to the flavor.

This happens because they oxidize when they come in contact with air. Luckily there's an easy solution… Immediately after grating (and I mean immediately) cover the potatoes with cold water. Let them sit in the water, completely submersed, until you're ready to proceed with your recipe.

Potato pancakes may turn out mushy if there is too much moisture in the potatoes or if the batter is too wet. To prevent this, be sure to thoroughly squeeze out excess liquid from the grated potatoes using a kitchen towel or cheesecloth before mixing them with the other ingredients.

Once they have been peeled and cut, raw potatoes will turn brown quickly. This process, which is called oxidation, happens because potatoes are a naturally starchy vegetable. And when exposed to oxygen, starches turn gray, brown, or even black.

The USDA says food that has been left out of the fridge for more than two hours should be thrown away. At room temperature, bacteria grows incredibly fast and can make you sick. Reheating something that has been sitting at room temperature for longer than two hours won't be safe from bacteria.

Recipe Tips and Tricks

Using a kitchen towel or paper towel, wring out as much moisture as possible. If you don't drain the moisture, they won't crisp as easily and that may be why your potato pancakes are gummy.

Is applesauce or sour cream better for latkes? ›

Tart and fruity applesauce—unsweetened is best—cuts through the grease and lightens them right up, leaving you feeling perfectly satisfied, but not stuffed. Sure, sour cream is tart too, but since it's dairy, it can weigh down the latkes—adding unwanted heft to an already filling meal.

These potato pancakes (called latkes) are meant to symbolize the miracle of Hanukkah, when the oil of the menorah in the ransacked Second Temple of Jerusalem was able to stay aflame for eight days even though there was only enough oil for one day. The symbolism comes in the form of the oil in which latkes are fried.

Too much oil in the pan is the culprit behind pancakes that are splotchy brown rather than evenly golden from edge to edge. We've all experienced the annoying phenomenon of having the first batch of pancakes turn out splotched with brown spots, while subsequent batches come out evenly golden.

Once they have been peeled and cut, raw potatoes will turn brown quickly. This process, which is called oxidation, happens because potatoes are a naturally starchy vegetable. And when exposed to oxygen, starches turn gray, brown, or even black. An oxidized potato is completely safe to eat.

The simplest and most effective method to prevent discoloration in prepping potatoes is this formula: Add one teaspoon of concentrated lemon juice or white wine vinegar for every gallon of water. This will minimize discoloration.