This Is Trisha Yearwood's Hack To Get The Crispiest Potato Pancakes

If the Food Network exists to do anything, it should be to make food more accessible for viewers. So when they shared a clip of Trisha Yearwood preparing sweet potato pancakes on YouTube, some ears perked for any hints about what they could do to improve on the recipe.

Right off the bat, Yearwood suggests a tip for crispier sweet potato pancakes. She holds a bagged cloth, explaining, "The potatoes and the onions have a lot of water in them. And we want really crispy potato pancakes. So you actually just grate 'em over some kind of cloth, and you just squeeze out all the water." The removal of excess moisture means that the potato shreds will fry better.

"Wait so is that the trick for hash browns too?" she's asked, to which she exclaims, "Yes!" And all viewers sit back, amazed by the simplicity of the trick. After this, the recipe shared in the video's description is easy to follow. Combine paprika, sweet potato, onion, thyme, flour, eggs, and salt in a bowl. Mix into a batter which you then scoop out to form patties. Fry the patties in oil and serve with a sour cream and dill sauce.

More ways to improve your potato pancakes

With the current Hanukkah festivities, fans are also looking for additional suggestions for improved potato pancakes. As ChowHound explained, latkes and potato pancakes became synonymous for many in the nineteenth century as potatoes became a staple. Before that, the dish would be made from whatever was at hand, like carrots or buckwheat.

Business Insider suggests time-saving measures like using pre-shredded potatoes or wet chopping the potatoes in a blender to save time on the actual grating process. If you do blend them, however, you do need to strain them like Trish Yearwood mentions. Otherwise, you will end up with a soggy stodge.

What will really — to use the favorite word of "Masterchef" — "elevate" the dish, though, is what you serve with it. On YouTube, Yearwood suggests applesauce and a mixture made from sour cream and dill. To this, Brit + Co adds a few ideas. One is to cover each with a dollop of crème fraîche, apple sauce, and black pepper. Another is a combination of Greek yogurt and pomegranate. A third mixes together mozzarella, persimmon, and balsamic glaze. And a final features pear and gorgonzola. 

In short, potato pancakes are a deceptively simple dish that offer a near-endless room for experimentation.