Potatoes, garlic, onion, and a generous layer of lard make up the simple traditional camprat—a large potato pancake baked in the oven. It turns beautifully crispy on the surface and around the torn edges, stays moist inside, and you don’t have to stand by a splattering frying pan.
This recipe is baked in a single roasting pan, and its main trick is hot lard combined with repeatedly flipping and tearing the dough. Camprat can be served on its own, or you can add smoked meat or sauerkraut to taste for a hearty homemade dinner.
What You Will Need
For the potato dough:
- 1 kg potatoes,
- 1 cup hot milk,
- 1 cup all-purpose flour,
- 2 eggs,
- a thick layer of quality pork lard for greasing the baking dish.
For seasoning:
- 1 small onion,
- 3 cloves garlic,
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste,
- optionally a handful of dried marjoram or a pinch of pepper.
Optional enhancements:
- diced smoked meat, such as bacon or sausage,
- or a handful of well-drained sauerkraut.
The original recipe doesn’t specify exact amounts for the optional ingredients, so adjust them to your taste and the desired dough consistency.
Step-by-Step Preparation:
1. Preparing the potatoes: Peel the raw potatoes and coarsely grate them into a large bowl. Work quickly so the grated potatoes don’t brown too fast in the air.
2. Adding hot milk: Immediately pour one cup of hot milk over the grated potatoes and mix thoroughly. The hot milk helps keep the dough a nice color and gives it a moist texture.
3. Seasoning the dough: Finely chop or grate the onion and add it to the potatoes. Stir in the pressed garlic, eggs, and salt, and optionally dried marjoram or a pinch of pepper if you like the classic potato pancake flavor.
4. Incorporating the flour: Gradually mix in the flour. The finished dough should not be too dense or too runny, but liquid enough to pour easily into the baking dish. Let it rest for a few minutes.
5. Heating the oven and lard: Preheat the oven to 200°C. Put a generous layer of quality pork lard into the baking dish and place it in the oven to heat thoroughly. This ensures a crust forms quickly on the bottom of the camprat and the dough doesn’t stick.
6. Pouring in the dough: Carefully remove the hot baking dish from the oven and pour the rested potato dough directly into the hot lard. Return the dish to the oven without delay so the dough starts to bake immediately.
7. First flipping and tearing: Once the edges start to turn pink and golden, use a spatula to flip the camprat right in the baking dish. Intentionally tear it into several irregular pieces as you flip—it’s on these torn edges that more crispy surfaces will form.
8. Finishing the bake: Return the dish to the oven and repeat the flipping and tearing process several more times during baking. Bake the camprat for about 40 minutes in total, depending on the size of your dish and how crispy you want the result.
9. Serving: Serve the finished camprat hot, broken into irregular crispy pieces. It makes a great dinner or snack, and is best enjoyed fresh from the oven.
Why We Tear the Camprat During Baking
Tearing isn’t just a traditional way to serve it. By breaking the large potato pancake into smaller, irregular pieces, you create more edges that can crisp up in the hot lard. Repeated flipping also helps each piece cook through from multiple sides.
That’s why you shouldn’t wait to tear the camprat until after baking. Start as soon as the edges turn golden, and repeat the process several times during the roughly forty-minute bake.
How to Adjust the Dough Consistency
The right dough should pour into the baking dish, but not be as thin as water. Gradually add the flour and watch the mixture’s consistency. After mixing, let it rest for a few minutes as the original method suggests.
If you add sauerkraut, be sure to squeeze it very well beforehand. Excess liquid could thin the dough and make it harder to achieve crispy edges.
Final Tip
For a more filling version, stir diced smoked meat, such as bacon or sausage, into the prepared dough. Another option is a handful of well-drained sauerkraut. Either way, you’ll have a hearty dinner made in just one baking dish.
