Tips on cooking potato pancakes?

[s7714]

I keep trying to make potato pancakes and I'm just not getting the method down. Does anyone have any TNT techniques they'd like to share?

I'm open to suggestions for both boxed and from scratch varieties. My mom makes them perfectly from scratch (without a recipe of course) but I never have been able to figure out what she's doing differently than me!

TIA for any help!
Jennifer
Mommy to
Miss Pure Energy 3/03
Miss Antsy-Pants 6/05

Our bones may be brittle, but our spirit is unbreakable.
Osteogenesis Imperfecta www.oif.org

[dontdoit]

I doubt this will help any, but I make potato pancakes from any leftover mashed potatoes. I just throw a little oil into the frying pan, make little patties and throw them on hot oil. They come out crisp on the outside, and mashed potato-ey on the inside.

[brittone2]

I like to pre-cook the shredded potatoes. I got this idea from Mollie Katzen's book Still Life with Menu. It makes them have less of a raw taste when you actually saute them. Oh, and soaking in cold water and blotting really dry helps. Haven't made them in a while but DH and I went through a phase about 3 years ago when we made them often.

[s7714]

I never thought about using leftover mashed potatoes! Good idea, I'll have to do that the next time I have leftovers!

Jennifer
Mommy to
Miss Pure Energy 3/03
Miss Limit Tester 6/05

Our bones may be brittle, but our spirit is unbreakable.
Osteogenesis Imperfecta www.oif.org

[s7714]

O.k., dummy question--do you soak them in cold water before or after you pre-cook? :+

Jennifer
Mommy to
Miss Pure Energy 3/03
Miss Limit Tester 6/05

Our bones may be brittle, but our spirit is unbreakable.
Osteogenesis Imperfecta www.oif.org