I've said it once, and I will keep saying it again - the potato is the greatest root vegetable of all time! If you peruse our blog, you will find numerous entries on the wonders of potatoes. It is for good reason; they are cheap, healthy, and versatile.
The inspiration for this article was all the different kinds of potato pancakes you can make and how focusing on different cooking techniques changes the taste and texture of the potato in the end. Then somehow, I thought about other uses for shredded potatoes, and I got an epic meal! I've already shown you how to make tubular tots, which is one way to use grated potatoes, but there are so many other ways.
We will start with the humble potato pancake: only one ingredient with infinite seasoning options, shredded raw and fried in a pan. I prefer a russet potato for pancakes. Once the potato is shredded in the pan, you want to liberally coat with high spoke point oil.
I seasoned my potatoes with black pepper, chipotle powder, onion powder and garlic powder. It is very important that you do not salt until the end, once the pancake has been flipped and browned on one side. If you season with salt too early, it leeches the potato's water content, and it doesn’t crisp as well.
Thoroughly mix the potatoes with oil and seasonings in the pan and turn the heat up to high.
Then you will smash them into an even layer and let it cook for roughly 8-10 minutes, before flipping it in the pan. Now, you can season with salt. You will cook the remaining side for another 8-10 minutes until deep golden brown.
I like this version of a potato pancake because it gives you a really crispy crunchy texture. One of my favorite breakfasts meals is frittatas, and I know you've heard me mention how much I love eggs! Served with my frittata, I eat this potato pancake like an open faced breakfast sandwich because it can hold the weight of the eggs. This could be considered a latke, but usually those use binders like eggs or cornstarch to hold it together and also may include add in ingredients like onions.
In our Culinary Boot Camp, we make a version of a potato pancake, but the potatoes have been pre-roasted until just tender. If you have the time after roasting, refrigerate the potatoes so the starches lock in and they will be easier to shred with a grater and stay together better. Using this technique with potatoes will yield a crisp exterior and more of a fluffy interior. Both of these methods of shredding potatoes are grate (pun intended)! It just depends on your time constraints and texture preferences.
Another potato pancake variation I like to make uses mashed potatoes that are scooped or formed into any size patty, then breaded and shallow fried. These are otherwise known as a croquette. To make the mash stable for shaping. I generally use one egg and lots of cheese! Depending on how much dairy was previously added in the original serving of the potatoes, I may add some flour, cornstarch or potato starch as well. Luckily, this is very forgiving and even if the mixture is slightly falling apart, the breading will hold it together.
Potato and roasted red pepper croquettes
Standard breading procedure is using flour, egg, breadcrumbs in that order on food that will be fried. The flour locks in moisture, coats the ingredients and gives the egg something to adhere to. Then the breadcrumbs stick to the eggs to form a thick crust perfect for frying. I use this method for everything; from arancini to chicken cutlets, to the above croquettes.
Arancini and Calabrian chili aioli from Culinary Boot Camp
All this thinking of latkes and mashed potatoes got me onto this dinner idea of using shredded potatoes as a breading option for protein. I happen to have an extra pack of pounded out veal cutlets leftover from Culinary Boot Camp 2, so I decided to experiment. I applied the same idea of standard breading procedure but swapped out the breadcrumbs for shredded potatoes.
Veal and Potato Scallopine
Yield: 4-6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
4-6 Veal cutlets, pounded out thin
1 cup flour, in a shallow bowl
3-4 eggs, whisked in a shallow bowl
1-2 Russet potatoes, grated, peeling optional
High smoke point oil for shallow frying
- Season the veal cutlets with salt and pepper.
- Dredge each cutlet lightly in flour.
- Next, dip in the whisked eggs.
- Lastly, generously pat the veal on both sides with shredded potatoes.
- Bring a pan with a 1/4 inch of oil up to just smoking, gently place the potato crusted veal into the pan, making sure to not over crowd the pan.
- Cook on each side for about 4 minutes or until each side is golden brown and crisp.
- Take the veal out of the pan onto a rack or paper towels to absorb the excess grease.
- Serve with mashed potatoes and mushroom cream sauce like I did or your favorite sides and sauces.
I must say, I absolutely loved how this turned out! So crispy crunchy on the outside and perfectly cooked veal on the inside. I am going to keep experimenting with using shredded potatoes as a breading for other ingredients in the future. So, stay tuned for more recipes! In the meantime, check out our class calendar for all of our upcoming classes.
