Potato Griddle Cakes

A cross between a pancake and a hash brown. Grated raw potatoes mixed with a beaten egg, flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper, then dropped onto a hot greased griddle in three-inch rounds. The baking powder gives these a slight puff that regular potato pancakes don’t have, making them lighter and fluffier while still getting crispy on the outside.

Six ingredients, no waiting for dough to rest, no parboiling the potatoes first. Mix everything in a bowl and start cooking. The grated potato releases starch as you mix, which binds the batter together with the flour and egg.

Cook them until deeply golden on each side. The potato shreds need enough time on the griddle to cook through from raw. Pale griddle cakes mean raw potato in the center, which tastes starchy and unpleasant.

Butter and syrup is the classic way to eat these for breakfast, treating them like savory-sweet pancakes.

Kitchen Tips

• Squeeze excess moisture from the grated potatoes before mixing. Wet potatoes steam on the griddle instead of crisping.
• Use the large holes on a box grater for shreds with more texture, or the small holes for a finer, more pancake-like result.
• Keep the griddle at medium heat. Too hot and the outside burns before the raw potato center cooks through.
• Cook a test cake first to check the seasoning and heat level before committing the whole batch.

Variations

• Savory style: Skip the syrup and top with sour cream and chives, or applesauce for a traditional potato pancake finish.
• Cheese griddle cakes: Fold in ¼ cup shredded cheddar before cooking for melty cheese pockets.
• Onion version: Add 2 tablespoons of grated onion to the batter for a more classic latke-style flavor.