Name: Classic Potato Pancakes
Ingredients: 1 medium onion, peeled; 4 large russet or Idaho potatoes (about 3 1/2 pounds), peeled; 2 large eggs; 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 6 tablespoons vegetable oil; 6 tablespoons unsalted butter; Applesauce and/or sour cream, for serving

Why it works: Onion and potato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,023 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Classic Potato Pancakes

Oven200°F

Timeabout 4 to 5 minutes per side

Ingredients

1 medium onion, peeled
4 large russet or Idaho potatoes (about 3 1/2 pounds), peeled
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Applesauce and/or sour cream, for serving

Directions

Prepare the batter

Preheat oven to 200°F.
Place two non-stick baking sheets in the oven.
Coarsely grate the onion and place it in a colander set in the sink.
Coarsely grate the potatoes and add them to the colander. Set aside to drain.
Lightly beat the eggs and whisk in the flour.
Press the potatoes and onion to extract as much liquid as possible, then add the pressed mixture to the egg and flour mixture.
Season the mixture with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well with a wooden spoon or hands, but do not overwork.

Fry the pancakes

Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy-bottomed 12-inch skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking.
Drop four scant 1/4-cup portions of the potato mixture into the pan and flatten with a spatula to form four 3-inch pancakes.
Fry until the bottoms are golden-brown, about 4 to 5 minutes, then turn over and fry until golden-brown and crisp, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Transfer the pancakes to paper towels to drain and season immediately with salt and pepper.
Keep the pancakes warm on the baking sheets in the oven while making the remaining pancakes.
Using paper towels, carefully wipe out the pan.
Add 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter and fry four more pancakes.
Repeat with the remaining batter, wiping out the pan and adding 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter before each batch.

Serve

Serve the pancakes hot with applesauce and/or sour cream.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1059Calories

42 gProtein

32 gFat

149 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 7 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Potato	1 medium (173g) baked	161
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Yogurt	170g plain Greek	100
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Onion + potatotop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together9,023 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together41,516 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together124,287 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Potato + buttertop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together6,456 recipes

Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Onion + buttertop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together42,912 recipes

Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

Flour and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Potatoes: Starch that forms the bulk of the pancake and crisps when fried.
Eggs: Bind the grated potato together so the pancakes hold their shape.
All-purpose flour: Absorbs released moisture and helps the batter bind and crisp.
Onion: Adds aromatic flavor and moisture to the batter.
Unsalted butter: Adds richness and helps the outside brown.
Vegetable oil: Conducts heat evenly and fries the pancakes to a crisp, golden surface.

The step that matters

Press out the liquid from the potatoes and onion. Grated potatoes contain a lot of water. If it is not pressed out, the batter steams instead of frying, so the pancakes turn soft and greasy rather than crisp and golden.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (potato, egg, flour, butter, cream):

Chivefits better
Leekfits better
Asparagusfits better
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against potato, egg, flour, butter, cream. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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Classic Potato Pancakes