Erzgebirgischer Buttermilchgetzen

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Box grater or food processor with fine grating disc
• •Clean kitchen cloth for squeezing potatoes
• •26cm to 28cm ovenproof cast-iron skillet or heavy baking dish

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook half

   Peel 500g of the potatoes, cut them up, and boil them in salted water until they fall apart at the press of a fork. Drain them well and mash them dry in the hot pot, because watery cooked potato makes a loose batter and steals the crust from the pan.

2. 2

   Render bacon

   Put the bacon in a cold ovenproof skillet, then bring it up over medium heat so the fat renders before the lean meat browns. Add the onion and cook until it softens, not dark, because burnt onion turns bitter under the long bake. Lift out a spoonful of bacon and onion for the top if you want the surface marked.

3. 3

   Grate and squeeze

   Peel and finely grate the remaining 500g raw potatoes into a clean cloth, then twist hard over the sink until the potato feels almost dry. This is the step that decides the dish. Wet raw potato stews in the oven; squeezed potato takes the buttermilk on your terms and lets the bottom crust in the hot fat.

4. 4

   Mix batter

   Stir the mashed potato, squeezed raw potato, buttermilk, eggs, salt, caraway, pepper, bacon, and onion together until the batter is thick and spoonable. If it slumps like soup, add one tablespoon of flour and stop there. Too much flour makes it dull and bready, and this is a potato dish.

   Taste a tiny fried spoonful of batter before baking the whole pan. Raw potato hides salt, and a flat Getzen is a long way to carry a mistake.
5. 5

   Heat the pan

   Heat the oven to 200C. Add the linseed oil and bacon fat to the skillet and warm it until the fat runs freely across the base. The batter must hit hot fat, not a cold pan, because the first contact sets the underside and starts the crust.

6. 6

   Bake until crusted

   Spread the batter into the hot skillet in an even layer, about 3cm thick, and scatter the reserved bacon and onion over the top. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the edges are brown, the top is set, and a spatula lifted at the side shows a firm golden underside. Let it stand 10 minutes before cutting, because the potato starch needs that pause to settle.

7. 7

   Serve plainly

   Cut into wedges or rough squares and serve with apple sauce, a sharp cucumber salad, or beside a roast with gravy. Spoon any bacon fat left in the pan over the cut pieces. Nicht aus dem Glas if you're making sauce with it; a clean pan gravy beats a packet every time.

Chef Tips

• •Use floury potatoes. Waxy potatoes keep their shape when you want them to collapse, and the finished Getzen turns slick instead of tender.
• •Linseed oil is right for the Erzgebirge, but use food-grade fresh oil and keep the heat moderate. Old linseed oil tastes bitter. A little bacon fat beside it gives the crust backbone.
• •Do not skip the squeezing. The buttermilk is the moisture you choose; raw potato water is the moisture that ruins your crust.
• •Serve it with something sharp. Apple sauce, pickled cucumber, or sauerkraut cuts the potato and fat cleanly.

Advance Preparation

• •Boil and mash the cooked half of the potatoes up to 1 day ahead, then keep them covered in the refrigerator. Bring them close to room temperature before mixing so the batter bakes evenly.
• •Grate the raw potato only when you are ready to mix. It darkens quickly, and the squeezed starch works best before it sits around.
• •Leftovers reheat best in slices in a lightly oiled skillet. The oven warms them, but the skillet gives the crust back.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 350g)