Bramboracky ( Czech Potato Pancakes)

It was my first white Christmas last  year and I loved it! European Christmas markets, snow all around, decorations, concerts, oliebollen ( a winter specialty in Holland) and gluhwien (mulled wine) all made for a perfect winter setting. We spent a day in Cologne walking through the Christmas markets and then decided to spend Christmas weekend at home in Eindhoven.
   As Harsh and I strolled through the Eindhoven centrum the biting cold left our finger tips and toes quite numb. My nose and ears hurt despite being covered in warm wool. After a couple of hours I couldn't bear the cold any more and we started walking back home. On the corner of a street, a restaurant (Usine) had set up a stall. The two local boys who manned it urged us to try some mulled wine and potato pancakes. The mulled wine brought back some warmth to our freezing bodies and we stood in the snow watching the boys fry the potato pancakes for us. The pancakes were delicious and I decided that I would try to make it at home before winter passed.
It's almost the end of spring now and I realised that I'd forgotten to try my hand at potato pancakes. I didn't want to wait until next winter and had a recipe for the Czech version (sent to me by my friend Sharavati) so just we had Bramboracky for dinner just a few days ago.

Here is the recipe :


Ingredients

• 4 large potatoes
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 pinch dried marjoram (optional)
• 2 teaspoons caraway seeds (optional)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• oil for frying

Directions

1. Peel and coarsely grate the potatoes, squeezing out as much liquid as you can. Transfer the shredded potatoes to a mixing bowl. Stir in the crushed garlic, salt, pepper, marjoram, and caraway seeds.
2. Beat the eggs with the milk. Add the egg mixture to the potatoes and stir well to combine. Gradually mix in the flour to form a thick but still pourable batter.
3. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat; the oil should be about 1/4-inch deep. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter into the hot oil, flattening it slightly. Fry the pancake until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. Taste the first pancake and adjust the seasoning if necessary; repeat with remaining batter.

Recipe source - http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/bramboracky-czech-savory-potato-pancakes/Detail.aspx

I replaced the dried marjoram with fresh marjoram leaves from my herb garden.

This a 'must try' recipe for the winter months and also for the monsoon in India.