These potato pancakes are delicious and easy to make with or without leftover mashed potatoes! It only takes 8 ingredients to make the best potato pancakes!
Peel 1 pound potatoes and cut them into halves or quarters (depending on the size of the potatoes).
Place them in a 3-quart pot and cover them with cold water by 2 inches, then add sea salt to the water.
Bring water to a boil, then boil for 15-25 minutes until fork tender.
Strain potatoes in a colander to remove any excess water, let cool in the colander until they reach room temperature.
Once they are cooled, rice the potatoes into a large mixing bowl using a potato ricer.
Make the Potato Pancakes
Add eggs either to the riced potatoes or to leftover mashed potatoes if that was what you’re using and stir until combined.
Add flour, garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt and pepper and stir until evenly distributed.
Add cheddar cheese and stir to combine.
Frying Potato Pancakes
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat until the butter is melted.
Use a ¼ cup measuring cup to measure out portions of the potato pancake mixture and drop it onto the skillet. Flatten the mixture into a round circle about ½” thick. Repeat with remaining mixture.
Cook over medium heat for 5-6 minutes, or until the bottom is golden-brown.
Flip and cook an additional 5 minutes until golden-brown.
Serve
Top with flaky sea salt and serve warm with sour cream, chives, etc..
Video
Notes
*To Use mashed potatoes: Substitute about 2 ½ cups of leftover mashed potatoes for the potatoes in the recipe. Then, skip the steps under "boiling the potatoes" and proceed to "Making the Potato Pancakes." If your mashed potatoes are heavily seasoned or salted, you may need to cut back the salt/seasonings in the recipe. Ingredient Substitutions
Yukon gold/russet potatoes. You can also use red potatoes, or even sweet potatoes, but Yukon & Russets are the best.
Eggs. there is no substitute for eggs in this recipe.
All-purpose flour. You can easily substitute 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour to make this potato pancake recipe gluten-free.
Garlic/onion powder. You can use minced garlic and finely diced onions in place of the powders, you will just need to sauté them together with a little bit of olive oil until the onions are soft, then add them to the riced potatoes.
Cheddar Cheese. Use your favorite cheese: cheddar, mozzarella, goat cheese, feta, Parmesan, etc.
Store/FreezeStore in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.Reheat on the stovetop to restore the outer crispiness, or in the microwave.