Authentic Rhineland Potato Pancakes

Rhineland Potato pancakes or Reibekuchen, as they call them in the Rhineland dialect, are a traditional German dish that you can find at street booths, at fairs or in restaurants. It is also called “Kartoffelpuffer” or “Kartoffelkuechle”. You enjoy them with apple compote, mashed apples or Sugar beet syrup. Potato pancakes are the best when fresh and hot; they must be a bit crunchy and must be fried in good oil or grease, the best would be clarified butter or tallow. Happy Cooking!

Ingredients Rhineland Potato Pancakes

1.5 kg potatoes (Gold, yellow potatoes)
2-3 smaller size onions
2 tbsp flour
2 eggs
salt, pepper to taste
4 tbsp clarified butter or sunflower/canola oil

Cooking Instructions Rheinland Potato Pancakes

– Peel potatoes and onions, then grate them fine (don’t boil potatoes).
– Mix potatoes with eggs and flour, add salt and pepper to taste.
– Let sit for 30 minutes.
– Melt clarified butter/oil in a large, non-stick skillet and place 3 pancakes, each one 2 tbsp of the dough, then bake them until golden brown.
– Place on kitchen paper, to soak the excessive grease, then keep them at a warm place until all dough is used up.

Serve potato pancakes with apple sauce or the apple compote, and the typical combination in the Rhineland would be the Zuckerrueben sirup (sugar beet syrup is a specialty from the Rhineland.

Apple Compote Recipe
1 kg apples (slightly sour)
1 tbsp butter
3 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp lemon juice
100 ml water or clear apple juice

Cooking Instructions Apple Compote
– Peel apples, remove core and cut in slices or small cubes.
– Saute apples in melted butter, add sugar and vanilla sugar, add water or apple juice, lemon juice.
– Let it simmer for about 8 minutes, then let cool off.

Recipe for Home Made Apple Sauce – Apfelmus

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