Perfect Potato Patties

Hi. My name is Kim.

And I'm a kitchen gadget junkie.

IKEA is a favorite place for me to feed this addiction. So is Bed, Bath & Beyond, Target and even Walmart. It's an illness really. A disability if you will. This addiction of mine renders me completely helpless until it is fed. I quiver in anticipation when my 20% off coupon arrives in the mail and I look for any excuse to go to town, just so I can browse the can openers, oyster shuckers, toast tongs, and wooden spoons. I have strawberry hullers, paring knives, peelers, flippers and scrapers galore. And most of these I actually use on a regular basis.

Then there is the drawer in my kitchen for my impulse buys; the ones I'm completely clueless about. I call it the Land of the Misfit Gadgets.

Up until last week, this one was their leader.

But not anymore. This is a potato ricer and it now has a purpose. In fact, my family has declared this former misfit the new gadget king of the kitchen.

A potato ricer's job is to squeeze the cooked potato through the tiny little holes, leaving the excess moisture behind. The potato ends up looking like long rice, hence the name ricer. Potato gnocchi and mashed potatoes, without the lumps, are common uses for this device, but I've decided that it's a must for potato pancakes. 

Every potato pancake I've ever made has been from leftover mashed potatoes. In order for the pancake to stick together, I've had to add a lot of flour. This ends up tasting less like potato and more like dough, which does not make my family line up for dinner!  

Make sure you use organic potatoes whenever possible. As one of the dirty dozen, conventionally grown potatoes can carry as many as 37 different pesticides! Eww.

These are plenty good without the pesticide seasonings. Trust me.

Perfect Potato Patties

~The Players~

6 large organic russet potatoes

4 green onions, chopped

1 cup organic sweet peppers (another dirty dozen member)

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped fine

1 egg

1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup all-purpose flour or rice flour

1 t. paprika

1 t. sea salt

1/2 t. garlic powder

fresh ground pepper to taste

a good oil for frying~I used refined coconut oil (without the coconut scent)

Optional: applesauce or sour cream

Peel the potatoes. Cut into 2-inch sized pieces and place in pot. Add enough water to cover. Bring to boil and cook until potatoes are soft, but not mushy.

Using a potato ricer, squeeze potatoes through into a large bowl or the same pot that the potatoes cooked in.

Add remaining ingredients and mix together with your hands.

In a large cast iron frying pan, heat enough oil to measure 1/8" deep.

Form patties in your hand and gently place in hot oil, cooking for 3-5 minutes on each side. If the oil starts to get too hot, remove from the burner to allow it to cool off a little. Continue until all are fried. Keep warm under a towel until done.

Serve with applesauce over the top or a dollop of sour cream.

*My oil got a little too hot while I was trying to take pictures. Maybe there's a gadget for that?

Enjoy!