Luxembourg potato cakes, or Gromperekichelcher, are a comfort food staple in Luxembourg Jan Hanrion

Luxembourg potato cakes, or Gromperekichelcher, are a comfort food staple in Luxembourg Jan Hanrion

This year, I took a cue from one of the film’s catchiest songs, ‘My Favorite Things’, which wonderfully captures the homely glow and heartwarming smells of a kitchen in winter. Here is the first of three mouthwatering recipes inspired by the song, which I’ve tested.

Warm woollen mittens

There is no other food that says comfort quite like Luxembourg potato cake Gromperekichelcher. A sizzling stack of the golden discs is like a pair of warm mittens against the wintery chill. Here is the official recipe from Luxembourg tourism platform Visitluxembourg.com.

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Potato cakes will be familiar to people from other European cultures, which have their own versions. Poland may give Luxembourg a run for its money with its hard to pronounce placki ziemniaczane, which tend to be served with a mushroom sauce or sour cream with a pinch of sugar. Rösti potato cakes, meanwhile, were originally a breakfast dish eaten by farmers in the Swiss canton of Bern. Today, however, they are eaten all over Switzerland and at all times of the day, often with onion, bacon and Alpine cheese.

Jewish latkes, Yiddish for “pancake”, are served as an appetiser, side dish or sweet treat to celebrate the miracle of Hanukkah, when the oil of the menorah in the ransacked temple of Jerusalem stayed aflame for eight days even though there was only enough for one day.

Lastly, Irish potato cakes, also known as “fadge” in Northern Ireland and “boxty”, are prepared with a combination of mashed potato and grated raw potato.

Ingredients (serves 10)

1,500 g potatoes

100g shallots

30g garlic

100g butter

50g flour

5 eggs

Parsley

Pinch of salt

Nutmeg

How to make it

Peel and wash the potatoes before grating. Leave in a colander to drain excess moisture.

Add chopped shallots, crushed garlic and chopped parsley.

Fold the eggs into the mix, blend and season.

Add flour and shape into patties before frying them in an oil-filled saucepan or deep-fat fryer.

This recipe was originally published in the October-November 2020 edition of Delano Magazine