Proud to be a Polack

So what if I had to look up the correct spelling of the derogatory term used to refer to my great heritage? It's only fitting right? While we may be known for our flightiness, we are also known for an array of delectable dishes. A favorite among both our Mom and Grandma, potato pancakes became a staple in mine and Julia's cooking regimen as we traveled to Wanda's each week to perfect the process. I had to dig deep in my memory to recall the teachings of the Great Wanda but I think she would be proud of what came out of my kitchen this morning.

In addition to the typical "plain" potato pancake (note: plain should be taken very lightly, these are just as good), I made a cheesy version and listed the steps for both:

Wanda's Potato Pancakes
One large potato
1/8 cup of Egg Beaters (equivalent to about a half of one beaten egg)
1 tbsp flour
Vegetable Oil
Salt
Pepper
Couple shakes of minced onion (fresh onion would be awesome, too!)

Wash and peel potato. Grate the entire potato into a large mixing bowl. Add egg, flour, salt, pepper and onion. Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a large fry pan. On medium to medium high heat, drop spoonfuls of potato mixture into hot oil. With your spoon, mold the pancake into a tight heap making sure the ends are sort of "tucked in" well. Then, thin out the cake with your spoon. This will help give it that crunchy texture.

Cook until the edges of the cake are a golden brown. Flip each cake and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Depending on the level of heat on your stove obviously the cooking time will vary. When golden brown on both sides, remove the pancakes from heat. 


For the cheesy version, I used the same ingredients but added about two cups of shredded cheese to the mixture. Depending on how cheese-core you are, you can lessen or increase the amount of cheese you add into the mixture. I also found that adding a bit to each pancake while they cook increases the cheesiness factor immensely.


Notes:
I used one potato for the "plain" version and one potato for the cheesy version. Each potato yielded about 8 pancakes. When you're ready to chow down, try dipping the pancakes in applesauce or sour cream.