French Potato Pancakes Recipe (2024)

This has been my go to recipe for Chanukah dinners. I make the pancake a bit thinner and 10-12 inches in diameter. As soon as side 1 is solidly together, I ease it into a pizza pan and into a hot oven. The undone side is up and getting more solid at this point. Eventually I invert onto another pizza pan and finish in the oven. Serve it like a crisp potato pizza!

I use a salad spinner to remove the moisture—works every time.

Excellent. My first batch was too moist and fell apart when I tried to flip. Paying attention to thoroughly draining the mixture before frying made a big difference.

I have made these many times and find NOT patting them down makes a nice airy texture. I found they are mushy when patted. Fluff as you place in pan and leave it alone.

I now cook these in a cast iron panini maker. I keep the potatoes nice and loose so they don't get mushy and don't have a problem with flipping. Definitely more than 4 minutes a side to get the golden brown. Be sure to spray oil the panini maker.

Love this recipe! I made it with shallots and a bit of grated parmesan. It's important to squeeze out the excess water after potatoes have been shredded. Too wet potatoes will take longer to brown and cook through. Mine needed 35 minutes in the pan at medium high heat to develop a nice crust so I could "flip" the pancake. It's important to be patient and only flip it when it slides around in the pan and crispy on the bottom.

Has anyone tried these in an air fryer?

I was not able to keep the mixture together for the flip so these ended up being just shredded hashbrowns. I tried leaving the pancake on for close to 20 minutes before flipping for my second attempt which just massively burnt the potatoes and didn’t help to keep the pancake together.

I could not believe how much this recipe tastes like my mother's latkes... and less time standing at the stove. It haas become my go-to latke recipe. So simple!

This was delicious, but I don't see anything very French about it. In fact, I have lived in France for over 30 years and I have never been served pommes darphin or a potato pancake or seen either on a restaurant menu. Eating these, I was actually reminded of the potato pancakes I would get in the Ukrainian diners on the Lower East Side of NY!

This looks a lot like a traditional German dish called Reibekuchen. It is also traditionally served with apple sauce.

I made these for my family yesterday. Absolutely delicious and despite the size, tasted like my mother’s delicate individual latkes of yore. But…even with two 10” cast iron pans going at once, cooking for four was a project. I felt like a juggler. By the time I finished cooking, my guests each asked for another. I never left the stove, and didn’t eat mine until my guests had each eaten two entire pancakes!

I've been making French potato pancakes for 30 years. After reading the methods and cooking lengths of this recipe, I will keep my time tested 45 to 60 minutes of cooking time, in my well-seasoned 12-in cast iron skillet, on extremely low heat. The 40 minutes of minimum cooking time ensures a thick crust that contains the near jellied consistency of the interior of the potato. This recipe, in my opinion, can't come close to that with an 8 minute cooking time.

No one makes latkes like my family's. We had the same simple grater my grandmother used at the beginning of the 20th century, which, it was decided, was the secret to their thin lacy elegance. (This year, I finally had to admit that this relic no longer grated.) Last night, following the Times recipe, with a neighbor's electric grater and a cast iron skillet, I was transported back in time. My pancakes were thinner than recommended but recreated my mother's delicate latkes. And so easy.

I use a salad spinner to remove the moisture—works every time.

Love this recipe! I made it with shallots and a bit of grated parmesan. It's important to squeeze out the excess water after potatoes have been shredded. Too wet potatoes will take longer to brown and cook through. Mine needed 35 minutes in the pan at medium high heat to develop a nice crust so I could "flip" the pancake. It's important to be patient and only flip it when it slides around in the pan and crispy on the bottom.

This has been my go to recipe for Chanukah dinners. I make the pancake a bit thinner and 10-12 inches in diameter. As soon as side 1 is solidly together, I ease it into a pizza pan and into a hot oven. The undone side is up and getting more solid at this point. Eventually I invert onto another pizza pan and finish in the oven. Serve it like a crisp potato pizza!

I now cook these in a cast iron panini maker. I keep the potatoes nice and loose so they don't get mushy and don't have a problem with flipping. Definitely more than 4 minutes a side to get the golden brown. Be sure to spray oil the panini maker.

I have made these many times and find NOT patting them down makes a nice airy texture. I found they are mushy when patted. Fluff as you place in pan and leave it alone.

So, I didn't squeeze out the root vegetables - and it definitely turned into a hash, albeit a delicious one. Other changes I made: I added kohlrabi to the potatoes (total almost 5lbs of grated root vegetables), and a bunch of minced cilantro... Served it up with a spinach/strawberry/feta salad. Great summer evening dinner...

I didn't see any starch to be added to this mixture. Without it, the result will be mush.