Potato Pancakes topped with Apple Compote
Potato pancakes with homemade apple compote are a delightful full meal that is typical in/for the region of Frankfurt and usually eaten at Christmas markets and all sorts of food festivals.
To me, it's a ritual to have potato pancakes the day after making apple jam, as the compote is a side product of the jam. How to make it read down below. The pancakes warm you from the inside, and the fresh apple compote, usually flavoured with vanilla and cinnamon, is the fresh, delightful and healthy topping full of vitamins B and C - antioxidants and pectin, which is a treat for our so-called second brain.
Shopping List:
5-8 Potatoes, 1-2 Onions, 2 Eggs, Flour, Homemade Apple Compote
Seasoning:
Salt, Pepper
All right, how should we start? As I said, the compote is usually a side product of jam, but here is the shortcut to making delicious apple compote in just a few steps.
Shopping List and Seasoning for the compote
Apples, cinnamon, 1/2 lemon, vanilla and maybe some sugar
Step 1
Wash, peel and cut the apples into pieces (1 kg of apples makes about 1 kg of compote and the smaller the pieces, the faster its ready)
Step 2
Fill some water (about 300ml for 1 kg apples) in a pot, bring to boil, and add the apples - let them cook till they are soft and fall apart when stirring - now give them a good stir and remove from the heat. Then, using a spoon, press through a sieve.
Step 3
Put the apples back into the pot and onto the stove again at medium heat. Add cinnamon and vanilla to taste, and if the apples are sourish, add some sugar to taste (I added 3 tablespoons of sugar to 1 kg of compote)
Step 4
Take the pot off the stove and fill the compote into jars, or let it cool down and freeze. In the fridge, the compote lasts up to a few days to a week, maybe longer if sugar is added.
(If you are looking for the long version of the compote recipe, please have a look at how to make apple jam, as it is a similar recipe, but please do not add preserving sugar to the compote.
And now we are ready for the Potato pancakes:
We start by finely dicing the onions, then peeling the potatoes and grating them!
It's best to place the grater in a bowl and then start grating – that way, you won't get too messy.
Then, add some salt to the grated potatoes, mixing and kneading well by hand until the salt is well incorporated and the potatoes start to release their moisture. Now cover and let rest for 15 minutes.
In the meantime, I minimize the chaos, gather the other ingredients, and prepare the next steps: eggs, flour, pepper, salt, a pan, and some oil for frying.
Fifteen minutes are up, so back to the grated potatoes. Now, we drain the potato water that has formed in the meantime and knead again, pressing as much water out as possible from the mixture. You can also use a cheesecloth, but unfortunately, I don't have one. Well, "keep it simple" is the motto here.
Now add the onions and season with pepper and salt (you can add a bit more seasoning, as the potatoes and flour absorb some of the flavor). I add 2 eggs and 2 tablespoons of flour to my mixture, then mix everything together. Simply mix the ingredients with a spoon and add more flour when needed.
Add flour to the mixture according to taste ("according to taste" is likely a suboptimal amount in a recipe, so about 3 tablespoons of flour is needed for 5 medium-sized potatoes). If the mixture is too runny, feel free to add some more flour.
We are ready to add oil to the pan and heat it up to medium-high (I use level 4 out of 6).
If desired, stir in parsley, coriander leaves, or any fresh herbs you desire - even Mint.
The herbs call for freshness in the pancakes and pair well with the apple compote or even served with mint yoghurt and chilis. Unfortunately, I don't have any, so today, I'm serving classic potato pancakes with homemade apple compote, just like the dish would be served at the Christmas markets around here.
Add the pancakes to the hot oil and fry them until crispy and golden brown on both sides. Then, I place them on a paper towel and dab off the excess fat with another.
Serve the dish on a plate with apple compote, and garnish it with fresh apple slices and Mint. This is a sweet and salty classic German dish that tastes delicious with a Blanc de Noir or a nice cold lager.
