Read down to the end of this week’s recipe to see why they have this unusual name!

Frätzele / Funny Faces or Raw Potato Patties

5 raw potatoes, peeled and grated
2 teaspoons salt
Melted vegetable shortening, ¼ inch deep in skillet
Applesauce (optional)

Peel and grate potatoes into a large bowl. Add salt and mix well. Heat shortening in heavy skillet. Drop by tablespoons into hot shortening in frying pan and flatten with spatula (to about ½ inch thickness). Fry over medium heat until golden brown on one side and then turn and fry. Serve hot with applesauce.

Serves four.

Note: William Rettig of South Amana recalls that her mother, Carrie Shoup, made Durchgedrehtekartoffeln (turned through or grated potatoes) and called them Frätzele, meaning funny faces. In the Amanas, Frätzel was (and still is) a favorite pet name for children.

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This recipe comes from the cookbook Seasons of Plenty: Amana Communal Cooking and was posted with permission of author Emilie Hoppe. Learn more about the book and how to purchase it.