Fried Flat Potatoes - Potato Pancakes (More Information)

Even though this is a pretty simple breakfast, there is a lot going on during the cooking process.

For starters, boiling the potatoes, then smashing them, will break down and release more starch from the potatoes. When the potatoes are then fried, the potatoes will absorb more flavors and cook more quickly (since the starch is already broken down).

However, you do not want to boil these too long; the point of the boiling is to soften the potatoes well enough that they can more easily fry. (Having the potatoes cooked fully during boiling would make them overcooked when fried.)

These can be fried in any liquid (or even without liquid). For sweeter fried potatoes, use fruit juice or for a meatier/richer taste broth or fat from meat will work. Beef fat is a more stable fat than other meats and also more flavorful than other fats. Most cuts of pork, chicken, turkey and bison are too lean and don't contain enough fat to adequately cook the potatoes.

Any type of potato works in this recipe however russet potatoes will fry easier than other types of potatoes because they are less moist than other types of potatoes. Also, if the potato is too waxy (like a red potato) they will take too much longer to cook. Plus, this works best with long, thick cuts and those cuts only come from russet potatoes.