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 Frosting/ Icing |
Go back to main Cookbook Page for Fritz Family Cookbook ordering information.
Recipes featured in the Potatoes section of the cookbook:
| Lithuanian Potato Kugel Potato Pancakes Bleenies (2 recipes) St. Richard's Bleenies John's Bleenies 'Leftover Potato' Pancakes Potatoes Anna |
Roasted Potatoes Hashbrown Casserole German Hot Potato Salad Jane's Potato Salad Sauerkraut Potato Casserole Pierogies Pirohy (Pierogies) |
Sage Potato Stuffing |
St. Richard's Bleenies
Angelina Rachelle F
In Europe and Russia, bleenies (or "blinis") are regular flour pancakes and are served with caviar. In the Coal Region, a bleenie is a potato pancake. Few people make them at home since they can create a huge greasy mess in your kitchen (and your whole house). That's why they are popular at block parties and church bazaars. Bleenie lines have been known to circle halfway around the block.
Yes, I love bleenies. This recipe makes the best of all bleenies. It's from Saint Richard's church in Park Crest, Barnesville, PA. They hold their festival the first weekend in August each year. Parking isn't plentiful at the church and it fills up fast with the good food, games, and local entertainment such as polka bands so they shuttle bus everyone up from the Lakeside Ballroom parking area.
The first set of instructions is for a major crowd of course. I'm not sure what a batch is but it's a lot! One batch could mean one 5 gallon bucket since that's what they spoon the bleenies out from at the bazaar. The recipe is written here in it's original form just as it was by a member of the church.
A 50 pound bag of potatoes makes 3 batches of bleenies.
12 quarts grated potatoes (Get a 12 quart pot and fill to level with the top. Maybe round of the top.)
4 quarts grated onions (May add a little more, to taste.)
5 T salt (Use a regular tablespoon, not a measuring spoon.)
4 eggs (If you are getting to the end of the day and running out, you may use 3, but try not to.)
5 c flour (Not measuring cups, but a large coffee mug. We used a Christmas mug.) If the potatoes are dry, you may use 4 cups, or if very wet, sprinkle more flour, up to 6 cups.
Sprinkle pepper over whole top of batter.
Mix the batter with your hand. To test if batter is as it should be, smooth the top of the batter and gently press your hand to the top of the batter. It should leave a slight imprint of your hand.
Use cast iron frying pan with 1/2"-3/4" oil to fry bleenies. Make sure oil is hot and 'lay' out the batter from a serving spoon. Try to float them while frying.
This was the end of the instructions. At the festival they have big long frying beds to make dozens at a time. You'll want to fry them until they are golden brown. Let them get a bit crisp before turning them over or they won't keep their form - just like a pancake. Careful when turning them so you don't get splashed with oil. Use a couple of forks or tongs for more control. Once fried, place on a screen to drain the oil and then you can blot off the remaining oil with a paper towel.
Here's the amounts for a much smaller batch.
4 qts potatoes
5 c onions
1 1/2 T salt
1 egg
1 2/3 c flour
sprinkle pepper
Follow the same directions as above and enjoy with some polka music!
Hint: Drain potatoes thru a colander to make a much firmer bleenie. Do not put too much oil in the pan; just enough to cover the bleenies as they fry. Too much oil will 'boil' them. Some people put vinegar on before eating, others smear on some grape or strawberry jelly, many eat them with ketchup, and still others eat them with sour cream or applesauce but my favorite topping is Heluva French onion dip. A good accompaniment is pork and beans. Warning: When cooking, be very careful with the grease so you don't set your house on fire!
'Leftover Potato' Pancakes
Angelina Rachelle F
If you have leftover mashed potatoes and no gravy or vegetables to go with them, here's how you can use them up. I remember the first time I saw these made. My maternal grandmother was frying up mashed potatoes and I thought she was just not being modern enough to use the microwave oven. She said that she'd rather heat the potatoes like she was. Now I'd rather them this way than heat them in the microwave.
See cookbook for recipe.
Pierogies
Angelina Rachelle F
Most Pennsylvania Coal Crackers will ask you, "Why make pierogies when you can buy Mrs. T's ???" I agree for the sake of time that they are great and easy. However, homemade ones are terrific and for the purists, there are great recipes in the cookbook with several variations as to what you can stuff into the tasty pasta pockets.
Sage Potato Stuffing
Angelina Rachelle F
1 loaf sliced white bread, cubed
1/4 c rubbed sage or 1/8 c of ground sage
4-6 c mashed potatoes
3 eggs, beaten
one medium onion & half stock celery sauted in butter/margarine
approximately 1 c milk
1/4 c butter/margarine
Season the bread cubes with sage. Mix onions, celery, and eggs in with the mashed potatoes. Add mixture to bread cubes. Add milk (additional if needed) and mix until stuffing is damp but not soaking wet. Spread butter/margarine on bottom and sides of baking dish and add stuffing mixture. Bake at 350 degrees about 30 minutes or bake longer if you prefer a dryer/crisp edged stuffing.
Potato Pudding Puffs
Linda Ann D F S
3 medium potatoes, cut up
1 egg
1 small onion, diced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
dash pepper
In electric blender, on grate setting, blend potatoes with 1/2 c water for a few seconds. Pour into fine strainer pressing potatoes against sides with back of spoon to drain off all liquid possible. Return potatoes to blender.
Add remaining ingredients. Blend at low speed a few seconds. Spoon into 9 small nonstick muffin pan cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Serve immediately. Makes 9 puffs about 40 calories each.
