My Grandma Hilda was always full of life and loved to cook and entertain. Every year on Chanukah, she had a big party with friends and family. She always had a massive spread of food, gifts for the kids, dreidels, and chocolates. And her potato blintzes were incredible! I’ll never forget how the potatoes were always so smooth and sweet, they would practically ooze out of the blintz. There was just something about them that kept me coming back for more. Several years ago, she gave me the recipe over the phone. I made them this year based on my notes, and they were delicious. Even though she never really knew what a blog was, she sure knew what a blintz was. So in honor of Chanukah and her recent first yahrtzeit, here is her recipe.*

Grandma Hilda’s Blintzes

Makes: Approx. 24 small blintzes or 12 large blintzes.
Total Time: 1-1.5 hours
Tip: Start by boiling the potatoes. While they are boiling, prepare the batter mixture and fry the crepes. Then mash the potatoes, and then fold and fry the blintzes.

Potatoes

8-10 potatoes, peeled
2 tbsp. butter
salt
pepper
fried onions (optional)
milk

Cut the potatoes into quarters or eighths and boil them in a large pot for 20 minutes or until soft. Remove from pot into a large bowl, retaining the potato-water in the pot. While the potatoes are still hot, add the butter to the potatoes and mash. Add salt and pepper to taste. Saute onions in frying pan until brown and add to mixture (optional). Use small amounts of milk and potato-water to thin the mixture as desired. The potato mixture should not be runny; it should be solid.

Batter

8 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp. salt
2 cups milk
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla (optional)

In a blender or other type of mixer, blend all ingredients until very smooth and no lumps remain. (Mixing by hand is okay, but not recommended.)

In a small frying pan, on a very low flame, heat about 1 tsp. of vegetable oil. For the first crepe, pour in 4 tbsp. of batter at once (about 1/4 cup). (For a large frying pan, use 1 tbsp. of oil and 1/2 cup of batter.) Let it cook for a few seconds, then slowly tilt the pan in a circular motion to get the excess batter to even out, making a nice round crepe. Cook 3 minutes until browned on the bottom, then pile onto a paper towel.

The thinner the crepe, the better. If the batter is too thick, add a little milk and mix again.

Oil the pan before each subsequent crepe.

Putting it all Together

Place a large spoonful of potatoes into the center of a crepe. To create the “envelope,” fold the bottom of the crepe up over half of the potatoes, then fold the top down to meet the bottom, then fold the left inward, and then the right inward over the left. Turn the blintz over (the open side should be on bottom) and put it back into the frying pan for 1-2 minutes until browned. Flip them for 1-2 minutes more to brown the top. Serve hot.

*I kept to the recipe, only adding paprika and garlic powder to the potatoes. And I used whole milk. However, please let me know if you made the recipe and how it came out for you. I’d be happy to post edits or variations.