Boiled potatoes, smoked meat, fragrant garlic pesto, and marjoram come together in filling pancakes with a golden, crispy crust. Grated cheese, fresh vegetables, and a spicy sauce turn them into a hearty dinner that cleverly uses up lunch leftovers.
Preparation takes 15 minutes and frying another 10 minutes. The dough just needs to be thickened enough to remain slightly sticky but easy to shape. With gluten-free flour, you can make a gluten-free version, but you can also use regular wheat flour if you prefer.
What You’ll Need
For the potato pancakes:
- boiled potatoes, amount depending on leftovers,
- 1–2 eggs, depending on the amount of potatoes,
- smoked meat, diced,
- garlic scape pesto or pressed garlic,
- gluten-free flour to thicken the dough,
- salt,
- ground black pepper,
- marjoram,
- oil for frying.
For topping:
- hard cheese for grating,
- fresh bell pepper,
- fresh tomato,
- spring onion,
- spicy sauce, such as sriracha, chili dip, or dressing.
The original recipe does not specify exact amounts of potatoes, meat, flour, spices, or toppings, so simply adjust them to the amount of leftover potatoes, number of servings, and your preferred consistency.
Step-by-Step Preparation:
1. Preparing the potatoes: Place the cold boiled potatoes in a bowl and mash them thoroughly with a potato masher. If you want a finer and more even base, you can grate them coarsely instead of mashing.
2. Adding meat and pesto: Add 1–2 eggs (depending on the amount of mixture), diced smoked meat, and garlic scape pesto to the potatoes. If you don’t have pesto, substitute with pressed garlic.
3. Seasoning the mixture: Salt and pepper the potato base and add marjoram, rubbing it between your palms before adding. This releases its aroma and helps it blend evenly with the other ingredients.
4. Thickening the dough: Gradually add gluten-free flour and keep working the mixture. The result should be a pliable, slightly sticky dough that’s easy to shape into pancakes. Don’t add too much flour, so the strong potato flavor remains.
5. Heating the oil: Heat oil in a pan. Meanwhile, shape the prepared dough into individual pancakes with your hands or a spoon so they cook evenly in the pan.
6. Frying the pancakes: Place the pancakes in the hot oil and fry on both sides until golden and crispy. Total frying time is about 10 minutes. You can briefly place the finished pieces on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
7. Preparing the toppings: Grate the hard cheese and clean and slice the bell pepper, tomato, and spring onion. Prepare sriracha, chili dip, or another spicy sauce or dressing to taste.
8. Serving: Sprinkle the hot pancakes with grated cheese so it slightly melts on top. Add the chopped fresh vegetables, drizzle with spicy sauce to taste, and serve immediately.
How to Fix Dough That’s Too Sticky
If the dough is very sticky and hard to shape, let it rest for 5 minutes. Gluten-free flour needs a moment to absorb the moisture. Only then check the consistency and, if needed, add more flour—but always gradually.
How to Bake the Pancakes in the Oven
The pancakes don’t have to be just fried. You can spread them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, lightly brush with oil, and bake at 200°C for about 20 minutes. Turn them halfway through so they brown on both sides.
Final Tip
In season, you can replace garlic scape pesto with chopped wild garlic. Instead of smoked meat, leftover roast meat or good-quality bacon also works well. For toppings, besides bell pepper, tomato, and spring onion, you can use iceberg lettuce, red onion, or cherry tomatoes.
