Artisanal Thanksgiving 2014: German Potato Cookies
MARTIN HEUSER | Affare in the Crossroads
Heuser has never been “turkey focused,” so when he and his wife, Katrin, opened Affare, they stayed open on a day a majority of restaurants close. This year the couple has decided to offer a themed brunch. Later, they will have a four-course Thanksgiving feast for $48 a person.
Heuser, who has led the kitchen at top hotels in Germany and Canada, is used to working on holidays. He landed in Kansas City in 2007 to run the Westin Hotel kitchens, where he churned out as many as 2,000 to-go turkeys during a single holiday season.
For The Star’s Thanksgiving feast, Heuser fell back on a favorite dish from his homeland, kartoffelplatzchen (car-toffel-play-chen), Potato Cookies. It’s a dish he still makes at Affare, and one that home cooks are sure to adopt because it can be made well in advance of the big day. “These are great when you have a million things to do,” he says. “Just flash it!”
“I have so many potatoes on my menu,” Heuser says. Although the potato dishes range in flavor and technique, he is quick to add that all are “uber-delicious.”
Although they are not much more difficult to make than mashed potatoes, Heuser says kartoffelplatzchen is considered an especially “festive” potato dish in Germany, and one that is especially good at soaking up lots of gravy.
Kartoffelplätzchen (German Potato Cookies)
Makes about 24 (2-inch) cookies
Special equipment: Potato ricer
2 tablespoons salt
4 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut in half then quartered
4 slices bacon, diced
1 small yellow onion, 1/8-inch dice
2 tablespoons chopped curly parsley
Salt, white pepper and ground nutmeg, to taste
All-purpose flour, for dusting and rolling
Potato starch, for thickening
1/2 cup clarified butter, for frying (see note)
Gravy, to serve
Fill a large stockpot three-quarters full with water and add 2 tablespoons of salt. Add potatoes and bring to a boil, cooking until they are knife-tender, like butter, about 20 to 30 minutes. Strain liquid and allow potatoes to dry and cool. If excess water remains, place pot on a warm stove burner and allow potatoes to dry. Load potatoes into a ricer and press, allowing potato fluff to fall into a large mixing bowl.
In a skillet over medium-high heat, saute bacon until partially cooked; add onions. Continue sauteing mixture until onions are soft; strain the mixture through a sieve or colander to remove excess bacon fat.
Add cooled bacon-onion mixture and parsley to riced potatoes and mix well to distribute ingredients evenly; season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg. If mixture feels wet, add potato starch a few teaspoons at a time.
Place potato mixture on a smooth surface that has been dusted with all-purpose flour and roll mixture into a log measuring 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Cut “cookies” every 1/2 inch across the log, or shape with your hands if you prefer. (Make-ahead tip: The potato log can be made several days ahead and stored in the refrigerator.)
To fry, heat clarified butter over medium-high heat in a nonstick skillet. Dust cookies with a little flour and fry on both sides until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Serve potatoes with gravy. (Make-ahead tip: You can also fry the potatoes, store in the refrigerator and warm in a skillet or the oven.)
Notes: Durable stainless-steel ricers are available at most kitchenware stores. They range in price from about $20 to $50, depending on the brand. Alternatively, you can use a food mill.
In clarified butter, known in Indian cuisine as ghee, milk fats are rendered from butter. If you don’t want to make your own, look for it in the natural foods and ethnic food aisles of the supermarket.
Per cookie: 65 calories (73 percent from fat), 5 grams total fat (3 grams saturated), 13 milligrams cholesterol, 3 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams protein, 571 milligrams sodium, trace dietary fiber.
This story was originally published November 18, 2014 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Artisanal Thanksgiving 2014: German Potato Cookies."