Reibekuchen or "Potato Pancakes"

Yesterday we visited the annual event of "De längste Desch" or "The longest Table" here in Cologne.
You find a couple of stalls here selling Reibekuchen (Rievkooche in the local dialect) golden brown Potato Pancakes, a traditional dish.

A dish that I know since my childhood days….
Lovely crispy on the outside, still fluffy and tender inside.
But beware, this is quite a smelly affair (as you have to fry them in loads of oil), so if you have the opportunity, prepare them outside on the terrace, balcony etc…




Ingredients for 4

12 large potatoes
3 onions, diced
8 tablespoons flour
2 eggs
salt and pepper
oil

Method

Grate potatoes on a large grater, season with lots of salt and some pepper.
Add the eggs and diced onions. Add so much flour that the potato mixture is covered (more or less 8 tablespoons, depending on the potatoes).
Stir everything together properly.
Batch-fry potato cakes ( they have to swim in oil), drain them on kitchen paper afterwards.
Bake them immediately after mixing everything together, the potatoes easily turn grey if prepared too long beforehand!!!!

Here in Cologne they are served with sugar and homemade applesauce, sometimes with a syrup made from sugar beets or together with a buttered slice of dark rye bread.
But they are just as good, without any addition, right from the pan.....