It may not be spring yet, but the birds are already chirping and the days are really getting longer and longer, which is a huge blessing for a food photographer. Since last December I wanted to create a spring version of potato pancakes and I think now the time is perfect for that. During the winter holiday season it seemed like everyone in Germany and Luxembourg (am I missing any other country?) was eating ”Gromperekichelcher” while strolling through a cozy Christmas market. Gromperekichelcher are actually potato pancakes, hash browns or crispy potato fritters and a traditional festive winter recipe. Although I LOVE potatoes, Gromperekichelcher potato pancakes are very high (read: soaked) in oil. Eggs are also used in this traditional recipe. However, the idea of the recipe is amazing so I wanted to create a spring/summer edition of this traditional potato recipe.
A lighter, plant-based and healthier version of these potato pancakes is the result. Of course you could use less oil, but what about no oil? After a few attempts I managed to figure out how to create this oil-free version.
The traditional potato pancakes that I have seen last winter were served with quark, horseradish or apple compote, but spring calls for green peas and a fresh hint of mint.
These potato pancakes are
✓ Oil- free
✓ Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside
✓ Best served freshly baked straight from the oven
I have tried different flours, but not all flours bind these potato pancakes as amazing as chickpeas flour, so my advice for this recipe is to really use chickpeas flour to bind the pancakes.
Are you also a big potato fan? Have you ever tried potato pancakes? Let me know what you think of this recipe on Instagram or Facebook. If you make a picture on Instagram don’t forget to tag #thegreencreator since I’m sharing all of your creations now under the highlights ”recipes you love”.
Spring Potato Pancakes with Pea Mint Dip
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 4 (depending on the size of the potato pancakes) 1x
- Category: snack, dinner, lunch
- Cuisine: vegan, plant-based, oilfree, vegetarian
Description
These delicious potato pancakes are oil-free, but crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The pea mint dip makes this a perfect snack for spring.
Ingredients
- For the Potato Pancakes:
- 2 russet white potatoes (this is rasped about 350 gr)
- ½ small (sweet) onion
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 tbs (40 gr) chickpeas flour
- ½ tbs fresh parsley, washed and chopped
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ground black pepper to taste
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- optional: ½ tsp mustard powder
- lemon wedges, to serve
- For the Pea Mint Dip:
- 2½ cups (300g) frozen peas, thawed
- 3/4 cup (80g) soy yogurt or coconut yogurt
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind
- ½ cup (15 leaves) mint leaves
- sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes and onion.
- Grate the potatoes and onion with a food processor fitted with a grating disk or grate the potatoes and onion manually with a grater (medium size).
- Place the grated potatoes and onion in a sieve and press the liquid out of the potatoes.
- Place the grated potatoes and onion in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chickpeas flour, turmeric, fresh parsley, garlic and mustard powder. Mix everything until evenly distributed.
- Preheat the oven to 220 Celsius / 428 °F degrees and place parchment paper on a baking tray. You can also use a silicone baking mat instead.
- Make 4 equal sizes of burger /pancake shapes, but you can make any shape you wish such as balls or squares. Place on the parchment paper. I used a mold to create the same quantity and size for every potato pancake. You can make smaller or bigger ones if you wish.
- Bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes lower the oven a bit and bake for another 15 minutes. Check every 5 minutes because they can easily burn (we drained out the water of the potatoes and are not using any oil). Bake until crispy gold brown. You don’t want to over bake them since they will become too crusty and dry.
- While the potato pancakes are baking prepare the pea mint dip. To make the pea mint dip, place the peas, yogurt, lemon, mint, salt and pepper in a blender and blend. You could also use a immersion blender for this. Add more yogurt if the dip is too thick to your liking. Set aside.
- Serve the potato pancakes warm with the pea mint dip.
Notes
Sweet potatoes are considered healthier than the white ones so you could make a mix of sweet- and white potatoes for this recipe.
