These German Potato Pancakes are served either with savory (sour cream) or with sweet (applesauce) toppings. Comforting and filling, they make a perfect meatless weeknight dinner!
There is a dish I could eat like 100 times in a row. Potato. Pancakes. Yes, I already posted them some time ago on the blog. Yes, I'm making them again. This time, though, they will be a little bit different. The previous version was Polish while today I'm going to show you German Potato Pancakes (Kartoffelpuffer)!
How they are different? First of all, for Polish pancakes you use the smallest grater while for the German variation - the largest one. That's why the texture and the taste of these two are not alike at all. Another important point where these two go separate ways is the toppings. Polish potato pancakes are usually served with savory stuff like sour cream and chives or parsley, while Germans enjoy them with... Applesauce! Sometimes sour cream can also be used, though.
Now I don't know guys if eating potato pancakes with sweet stuff is common to you but it surely wasn't something I've tried before. In my country and all the nearby ones (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus) only the savory toppings are used. Mushroom sauce, meat sauce, or sour cream, which was already mentioned before, but never ever anything sugary. That's why my hesitation was natural. However, I needed only a few bites to become German and fall in love with this unusual-to-me combination!
If you are from one of Eastern European countries you may say: "What the hell, my country came up with these potato pancakes!" and I won't argue with you. It's really hard to say where any of these potato pancake were born. I just call them Polish and German because that's how the majority of English talking people are calling them.
To conclude, I can recommend these German potato pancakes to anyone who love this veggie. They are really easy to throw together and make a great meatless weeknight dinner. You can serve them either with sour cream or with applesauce or with both, just like I did. They are amazing any way! 
German Potato Pancakes (Kartoffelpuffer) with Two Toppings
Ingredients
For the pancakes:
- 8 potatoes (about 3 ½ lb or 1.6kg)
- 2 large eggs , separated
- 1 large onion , finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- oil , for frying
- sour cream , for serving
- chives , for serving
For the applesauce:
- 4 apples , peeled and chopped
- ¾ cup water
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
The pancakes
- Grate the potatoes using the largest size on a grater. Put into a colander and press out the liquid. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Separate the eggs and add the egg yolks to the potato mixture while beating the egg whites in another bowl until soft peaks and setting aside. Add the onion, flour, salt, ground pepper, parsley, and paprika to the potato mixture. Now stir in the beaten egg whites until combined.
- Heat the oil in a skillet. Using a spoon drop the potato batter of desired size and spread out to a circle. Cook until golden brown on both sides. Serve with sour cream and chives or applesauce. Enjoy!
The applesauce
- In a saucepan, add all the ingredients for the applesauce. Cook over medium heat, covered, for about 20 minutes. Mash with a fork or potato masher.
Dahn
I love potato pancakes. You have a great recipe Igor, I love it.
Igor
Thanks, Dahn! I am happy you liked it!