Potato Pancakes - German Style

I have had many versions of potato pancakes, after all they come in many shapes and sizes. When I was a kid my mom made a version from leftover mashed potatoes which we all loved. I have made them from box mixes. I have ordered them from restaurants.  However, as an adult with grown-up taste buds, hands down, my favorite version is from a gourmet grocery store/deli in Canton, Michigan called Holiday Market.  They were big and thick with coarsely grated potatoes and onion. Since I now live about 2000 miles from this wonderful store I went in search of something similar.  I found this recipe here at Recipezaar - I barely changed a thing.  They are identical to my all time favorite version.  Sigh, there is nothing more satisfying than finding a really good recipe that matches something that you have had from a restaurant (or gourmet deli in this case).

Potato Pancakes - German Style

3 lbs of potatoes, peeled and grated (yes, weigh the potatoes for accuracy either at the store or with a digital home scale)

1 large onion, chopped or grated

3 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of salt

3 Tablespoons (or more to taste) of fresh parsley

Canola oil

1) Keep potatoes covered with cold water until ready to grate.

2) Either use a medium shredding blade in a food processor to grate the potatoes and onion together then dry between sheets of paper towel, or grate the potatoes with a hand held grater into another bowl of cold water.  Grate onion and set aside. Drain potatoes using a colander. Add the grated onion to the colander. Using paper towel press down to squeeze out any excess liquid, and to absorb as much moisture as possible.

3) In a large bowl combine potato/onion mixture with eggs, flour, baking powder, parsley, and salt.  Mix well.

4) In one or two large skillets heat 1/8" canola oil over medium until hot. Using 1/2 cup measuring scoop, turn out 1/2 cup mounds of potato mixture into hot pan(s), carefully flattening with spatula, and fry until crisp and golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. (My stainless steel pan cooked the pancakes almost twice as fast as my teflon pan).  Drain on paper towel and keep warm in the oven until ready to serve.  Replenish oil in pans as necessary and repeat until all the mixture is gone.  Tip:  stir the mixture before scooping out the next batch.

5) Garnish with more parsley and serve with applesauce and sour cream for sides