Perfect Potato Pancakes

These extra-crispy potato pancakes are hot off the waffle iron and just in time for fall, when warm comfort food is a welcome treat.

Once your family and friends peg you as a "foodie," count on never getting another gift that isn’t food-related. My kitchen closets are filled with utensils and appliances that I might use only once in a blue moon, and even my obligatory Father’s Day ties are festooned with images of lobsters and biscotti. Thank heavens for the annual neighborhood sidewalk sale where I can "redistribute" my extra melon ballers, garlic choppers and mango slicers.

I’ve found, though, that certain gadgets end up coming in handy on a regular basis. For instance, I use my Foley food mill every time I need to remove the seeds and skin from canned tomatoes to make sauce. The food mill, a relatively low-tech piece of equipment, is the way people used to puree carrots, squash and apples before the advent of the food processor and the hand blender. And in many cases, it still does a better job than its high-tech successors.

Another gadget I use often is my Belgian waffle maker. Most households probably have one of these stuck up in the closet or down in the basement next to the peanut-butter maker and the slow cooker. But I keep mine handy in the cabinet just below my work counter. It gets dragged out regularly for creating breakfast and brunch waffles and seasonally for making potato pancakes. This time of year, I love to make a dinner of German-style potato pancakes with lots of warm, homemade applesauce on the side. If there’s a pork chop to go along with them, all the better.

The advantage of using the waffle iron is that you can seriously reduce the amount of fat in the finished dish, and the nonstick surfaces mean that there is very little clean-up. The deep indentations mean that there’s more surface area and more crunch in every bite. So give these fall favorites a try. You may even decide to make room for your waffle maker on the counter.