German potato pancakes - the true authentic way

I was looking around just for fun to find an authentic recipe for potato pancakes, which I loved to eat back in Germany. They are a tradition at most Christmas markets and I never passed on them when it was that time of the year. But all I found online here was nothing near authentic....rather resembling a variance of hash browns rather than true potato pancakes.

Therefore I decided to share the authentic way to make them with you. They are easy to make, but a little time consuming to prepare if you are feeding a big crowd.

The ingredients you will need:

starchy potatoes

quick oats

eggs

salt, pepper, nutmeg

oil for baking

Now here comes the hard part....after peeling the potatoes you will have to grind them, not just shredding. Use the finest setting or side of your grinder. I do it by hand, and it is not as bad as you might think, because you won't need that many potatoes unless you have to feed a big crowd. The potatoes have to become a thick sauce like mushy stuff turning.

Once you are finished grinding the potatoes, you will add a little salt, pepper and nutmeg, about 1 egg and just enough quick oats to soak up the liquid of the dough but not making it firm at all....It still has to remain a fairly liquid dough. Let this stand for about 10-15 min. In the meantime you can chop the onion finely and add it to the dough.

Here is my thumb rule of how much you need for two people:

3 medium potatoes

no more than half of a small onion

approx 1/3 to 1/2 cup of oats

2/3 tsp of salt, 1/4 tsp of pepper, a pinch of nutmeg

Now the dough is ready! Heat a skillet with some oil. Wait until it is hot. Depending on the desired size of the pancakes, place the dough in the pan and you might want to flatten it out a little. I prefer smaller pancakes which you can flip over much easier.

Wait until the edges turn golden brown before turning them over. When they are done I suggest placing them on a plate with a paper towel to drain the excess grease.

Have some applesauce and put it on each pancake - or eat them plain. Traditionally pancakes are eaten with apple sauce - and I don't want to miss the apple sauce!