Kartoffelpuffer
Reibekuchen: crisp Rhineland potato fritters with apple sauce
In Cologne and Düsseldorf they're called Reibekuchen, and they are the smell of the Christmas markets and autumn fairs: thin, lacy potato fritters fried in oil until golden and crunchy at the edges. At home in the Rhineland they're traditionally a Friday dish, eaten hot with apple sauce or on buttered dark rye bread. They are simple, but timing and heat matter. Chef's tip: squeeze the grated potato really hard in a tea towel and keep the starch that settles at the bottom of the liquid; it binds the mixture so you need very little flour.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
To serve
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Grate 2 ¼ lb floury potatoes and 1 onion on the coarse side of a box grater into a bowl lined with a clean tea towel. Twist the towel and squeeze out as much liquid as you can into the bowl.
Step 2: Leave the liquid for 2 minutes, then carefully pour it away, keeping the white starch at the bottom. Add the potatoes back to the starch with 2 eggs, 2 tbsp plain flour, 1 tsp salt and 1 pinch ground nutmeg and mix well. Work quickly so the potato doesn't turn grey.
Step 3: Heat the oven to 250°F (200°F fan) to keep the fritters warm. Heat 5 mm of ¾ cup sunflower or rapeseed oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat until a shred of potato sizzles straight away.
Step 4: Drop in heaped tablespoons of mixture and flatten each into a thin, 10 cm round with the back of the spoon. Fry for 3–4 minutes per side, until deep golden and crisp with lacy edges. A common mistake is a pan that's not hot enough: the fritters soak up oil and turn greasy. Top up the oil between batches.
20 minStep 5: Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm in the oven while you fry the rest. Serve hot with 10 ½ oz apple sauce.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kartoffelpuffer take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of floury potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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