Jacques Pépin’s Criques (Crispy Potato Pancakes)
January 13, 2019
I happen to LOVE potato latkes. I ate them right before I went into labor with my second daughter Grace. These are incredibly fast and easy to make.
Jacques Pépin is an internationally recognized French-born American chef. He was inspired by the various forms of potato pancakes called criques in the Lyon region of France where he grew up.
The beauty of this recipe is that all the raw ingredients are thrown into a food processor and turned into a pulp then fried in oil to get crispy. Who doesn't like crispy potatoes?!
If you don't have a food processor, Pépin says you could make the batter in a blender, starting with the liquid in the bottom and chopping the potatoes a little smaller.
- Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 15 mins
- Yields: 4 Servings
Ingredients
For the pancakes
2 cups peeled and cubed (about 1-inch) Russet potatoes
1 cup cubed (about 1-inch) white or yellow onion
2 tablespoons potato starch or all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Peanut or canola oil, to sauté the pancakes
For the salad
4 cups salad greens, like arugula or a mix
Directions
1Put the potatoes, onion, garlic, eggs, potato starch, baking powder, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Process for about 30 seconds to combine the ingredients well. The texture will be grainy. Stir or briefly pulse in the scallions.
2Heat about 3 tablespoons oil in a large, nonstick skillet over high heat. When it is hot, add about ¼ cup batter, spreading it out to form a pancake about 4 inches in diameter. Repeat this to have 4 pancakes cooking side by side in the pan. (If using a smaller pan, make multiple batches.) Cook the pancakes for about 3 minutes on each side over medium to high heat, fiddling with the heat as needed to make sure they don’t burn before they cook through. They should be well browned and not squishy in the middle—you want to be sure the onions in the batter have a chance to cook through and lose their raw taste.
3Transfer the pancakes to a wire rack so they don’t get mushy on the underside. Continue making pancakes until all the batter is used, adding more oil to the pan as needed. Serve. (The criques are best fresh from the pan but can be made 1 to 2 hours ahead and reheated on a baking sheet in a 425° F oven for about 5 minutes before serving.)
4To make the salad, toss the greens in a bowl with the olive oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Divide among four plates and arrange the criques on top.
Recipe adapted slightly from More Fast Food My Way (Rux Martin/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2008). —Genius Recipes
2 Reviews
Ornery grandma
August 7, 2020
If you watch his Facebook videos, he does not use a food processor and will tell you that this is not good for this dish. The ingredients are correct but the way it’s done gives a different result and I’m not sure this is his recipe anymore.
He grates the potatoes then squeezes out the starch with his hand. Then he adds the egg and scallions and flour. Etc. the batter is very dry and barely stays together. When you fry them you get a crispy wonderful pancake that is more crispy hash brown than “pancake”
He has wonderful Facebook videos and this one is on there.
I’m sure these pancakes are good; I’m just not sure they deserve his name.
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Carol
September 22, 2022
Actually, he has made these in a food processor – I watched it! His later video is when he grates the potato, but calls that a lacy potato pancake. This Criques version is spot on (I recorded the episode) and makes a smoother “pancake” often served with caviar.