French Fridays with Dorie: Matafan (fluffy mashed potato pancakes)

It’s going to be a real quick French Fridays with Dorie post this week. The recipes for this month were not posted until Monday which, for this planner-aheader doesn’t work so well. Not to mention it’s barely light when I get home from work so the chances of taking decent photos are definitely somewhat reduced.  I was pleased to squeeze in the matafan (pp 356 – 357) though – however rushed – I’d had my eye on them for a while now, intrigued about the idea of a fluffy mashed potato pancake. I am a fan of potato cakes so a fluffy one sounded like heaven 🙂

I did this in two stages because the baked potatoes took a couple of hours to bake (on a salt bed) in the oven.  Since I don’t own a potato ricer, I had to push the (now cold) mixture through a sieve which wasn’t the easiest task. After that it was a breeze to whip up the batter and cook these babies.

I ate them on their own, resisting the urge to dip them in some ketchup. That would have been good but these honestly did not need it – they were THAT good alone. Fluffy and potato-ey without the heaviness I usually associate with a potato cake. Excuse the bad photos – my first blog photos taken indoors for a very long time…

Want to join French Fridays with Dorie? Join here.

French Fridays with Dorie participants do not publish the recipes on our blogs, rather, we prefer if you purchase Around My French Table for yourselves (trust me, you definitely want this book!) which you can do here on Amazon or Amazon Canada. Or for free worldwide shipping, buy from The Book Depository.

66 thoughts on “French Fridays with Dorie: Matafan (fluffy mashed potato pancakes)”

  1. Your photos look fabulous, Mardi! And so do your pancakes…these were darn good, weren’t they? I can’t imagine pushing the potatoes through a sieve, though….you get points for determination!!!

    Reply
  2. Your pictures look great as do your potato pancakes. You are one dedicated member of FFWD to work your potatoes through a sieve!

    Reply
  3. Wow, these look so fluffy, indeed! I am used to grated potato pancakes from home in Germany, these look quite different. Yours look very delicious!

    Reply
  4. This time of year is wreaking havoc on my photos as well. The sun is pretty much useless after 4. But your pancakes look tasty anyway and I’m very happy to read the positive review. I’m looking forward to giving these a try myself.

    Reply
  5. Looks great, even if taken indoors. I used my ricer on the potatoes when they were hot and it was quite easy. Perhaps Santa should consider a ricer for you! Have a great weekend Mardi. Looking forward to your Charcutepalooza post.

    Reply
  6. Glad you got around to this recipe despite the rush! I learned the hard way years ago that mashing cold potato is asking for trouble so I always mill them hot before stashing away in the fridge. I was smiling when you mentioned ketchup. It didn’t even occur to me but that makes so much sense! I’m sure my meat-and-potato BF would love that idea. 🙂

    Reply
  7. Well, my photos are always bad…just point and shoot, but they are fun and remind me about what I have done. But that said, I think your photos are great. Pretty colors and beautiful food. I cheated on the cooking/mashiing method…had to hurry. But yours are so round and pretty…it was worth all your efforts.

    Reply
  8. I define “late” as being less than 5 minutes early, so I feel your pain 🙂
    No one is going to laugh at your pictures, I promise!
    Have a great weekend.

    Reply
  9. Ooooh! Despite the hiccups these turned out beautifully 🙂 I love this FFwD, I want to try a potato pancake!

    Buzzed

    Reply
  10. It’s always a challenge to take photos indoors this time of year, but if you hadn’t said anything I wouldn’t have known…I think they are really good photos and spotlight your matafan perfectly.

    Reply
  11. Your pancakes look perfect! They’re all consistently golden brown, I’m very jealous 🙂 I’m also a plan-aheader, so I couldn’t get to this recipe this week. I’m impressed you made it. I’m hoping to try it next week.

    Reply
  12. I, too like to plan ahead. Even though I’m retired I am always making lists and plans. So,
    with the holidays coming I made three of the recipes for this month in a week. Nothing
    like being prepared. Your pancakes look delicious and light, mine became very brown
    only because of the butter. I think I have to learn how to cook with butter a little more,
    as I am use to using a little oil, or an oil and butter combo. We did enjoy the pancakes
    though, and I’m sure Tricia and I will be revisiting this recipe again.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Liz Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.