Potato Pancakes and bratwurst

Potato pancakes are a favorite around here in the fall. I serve them with applesauce and sometimes some chicken or sausage. The other night I had some bratwurst that I thawed.

Simmered and Grilled bratwurst
1 can cheap beer
1/2 onion, chopped
a few bratwurst

Looking on the Internet, I saw that a common way to prepare them was to simmer them in beer and chopped onion, then grill. I did that and they were pretty good. Not sure what the beer simmering added though...

Potato Pancakes
3 medium or 5 smallish potatoes, peeled and grated and drained
1 onion, grated (optional)
3 Tbs flour
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste
oil for frying

I use the grater on my Kitchen Aid mixer to grate the potatoes. Peel, grate, and wrap them in paper towels to absorb some of the moisture. Heat the oil while you're doing this, just a thin layer on the bottom of the pan. It should be pretty hot but not smoking. If it's not hot enough, the pancakes will absorb too much.

Grated the onion into a bowl. Add the egg and mix a bit, then add the potatoes, sprinkle with flour, salt and pepper, and mix up. Drop by large spoonfuls into the oil. They should "sputter" a bit if it's hot enough. Flatten with the back of the spoon or a spatula and let cook about 5 minutes per side. Don't crowd the pan too much.

As they're done, place them on a paper towel in an oven proof dish and place in a warm oven until you're ready to serve. Serve with applesauce, sour cream, or ketchup.