I have been planning to make gluten free potato pancakes for some time, now, and finally got around to making them. Gee, it’s been a decade or more since I have had them. Ahhh! – what a delight! I make them with fresh left-over potato pancakes, not instant potatoes. This recipe is gluten free and without any type of flour. I show the how-to by text and photo display. This recipe covers making homemade mashed potatoes and potato pancakes, plain, and with a variety of fillings. Either way they are scrumptious!
Potato pancakes are wonderful alone, but you may stuff them with anything from vegetables to cheese, a potato omelette, so to speak.
Ingredients:
- 6 small to medium sized potatoes, peeled
- Filtered water, enough to cover potatoes
- 5 Tablespoons butter (or dairy-free spread)
- Splash of milk (or dairy-free milk)
- Fine sea salt and white ground pepper, to taste (black pepper is acceptable)
- 8 - 12 Tablespoons cheese (or Daiya vegan cheese*), shredded (optional)
Instructions:
- Cut up potatoes into bite sized pieces, trying to keep the sizes equal as much as possible.
- Add them to a medium to large pot and cover with water, about 1 inch above the potatoes.
- Boil until tender,about 15 minutes. Be careful not to overcook to avoid mushy potatoes. You'll know when they are done when you can stab a steak knife deep into them easily. (If they break when you stab them they are overcooked. In this case, use very little milk or omit it completely when creaming them.)
- Once cooked, drain them thoroughly and add them to a food processor or mixing bowl; add butter, salt and pepper (you can add more later, if needed).
- If using a food processor (my favorite tasting mashed potatoes, but very starchy) "pulsate" them until you no longer see any chunks of potatoes. You want them to be nice and creamy.
- Serve as mashed potatoes and refrigerate leftovers to make potato pancakes; or refrigerate all of them for potato pancakes.
- Once the potatoes are cold, form some into patties (extra thin if you plan of stuffing them), like a hamburger patty, except thinner.
- Add shredded cheese to the center, about half an inch from the ends, or any of the suggested fillings below.
- Make another thin patty; cover the first one and smear the mashed potatoes downward to seal the edges.
- Preheat a buttered non-stick frying pan with 1 tablespoon of butter. Get it nice and hot, but not smoking; on about medium-high heat.
- Add the potato pancakes and fry without moving or turning them for about 4 - 5 minutes.
- Carefully flip them over with a spatula and cook for about another 4 minutes; remove and serve.
Tips
*Vegan cheese may contain inactive yeast and/or soy.
Variations:
Fill them with sauteed vegetables, onion, peppers, ground or chopped cooked meat, etc.
My grandmom used to make these for me. My favorite! She used leftover mashed potatoes, yum!