With this article I like to introduce you to one of the most well known dishes ever, BRATKARTOFFELN.

They are also known under German Fried Potatoes or  German Roasted Potatoes  or German Cottage Potatoes. Also known as Home Fries, House Fries, American Fries, Fried Potatoes or Bistro Potatoes and many more designations around the world.

It’s  a type of basic potato dish made by pan- or skillet-frying chunked, sliced, wedged or diced potatoes. Sometimes unpeeled and may have been par-cooked by boiling, baking, steaming, or microwaving.

  This is how my wife likes her baked potatoes. Small cubes fried in the fat of the bacon and mixed in fine sliced onion. Finally sprinkled with some rosmary. This goes with everything.

Similar preparations, by example,  are known as Hash Browns, Roesti or French Fries, Potatoes O’Brien, Waffle Fries or Potatoes Lyonaise.  If we go on, it will lead to all the different potato dishes and that list will be endless.  The list can start with Aligot from France and Batates in Egypt  ending with Xogoi Momo from Tibet and  Zippuli in Italy.

I will try to focus on the „German Bratkartoffeln“ with their most favorite dishes. May be you’ll get appetite to make them yourself and/or have some ideas for your next meal. But first, I can’t help myself  – as always in my posts, a bit of history.

  Typical German, Bratkartoffeln with Bratwurst.

History of the „Bratkartoffeln“.

The „Fried Potatoes“ did not owe their name, as one might suppose, to their preparation (braten = frying or roasting), but to an enterprising young German lady, staying in Vienna for some time, named Henriette Josepha Braths. Braths = can also been read in Germany as Roast/Fried. Braths-potatoes are then Brat-potatoes, means Bratkartoffeln.

  Henriette Josepha Braths, pic around 1900.

Many cooks have been commemorated in the history of cooking. The Roman cook Lucullus must serve for everything that is delicious, so „epicurean“. But there were also people associated with the culinary art, who could not even cook and who considered it under their dignity, even once only take a panhandle in their hand. Among these persons are Chateubriand (statesman), Stroganoff (Russian Grand Duke), but also the Austrian Emperor Franz-Josef, to whom the „Kaiserschmarrn“ was dedicated, as well as Prince Pueckler, the food ice cream named after him.

  Very German, Bratkartoffeln and Currywurst.

The inventor of the original fried potatoes, grown up in Germany, originated Henriette Josepha Braths, who had received her name only by the confusion of a lousy registry office writer (who changed her name in her birth registry, she was actually named Raths), has not been appreciated to this day, neither in her native town of Malmedy, nor in Vettweiß (near Düren in the Rhineland), where she spent her youth and invented the potato court, nor in Vienna, where she spent several years with the mysterious Count Lajos.

  Henriette Josepha Braths, 1910 after she won the food competition.

The life of Henriette Josepha Braths ran smoothly until May 23, 1907, as did thousands of other maids and kitchen moms who at that time had to earn their living in „high estates.“ Then, by chance, she met the Austro-Hungarian count, which made her life an exciting one at the time. Our picture shows Henriette, who was called in her Rhenish village only „Jettche“, in 1910 in Vienna. She was then 26 years old, had her luscious curves reduced by a potato diet and was now matured to a very presentable lady.

    Here with „Wienerle“ (Frankfurts) and ketchup.

Count Lajos mother had expressly requested „Jetti“ to participate in a recipe competition in Vienna. Henriette sent in 1907 the recipe of the so-called „roast potatoes“ named at that time – and a Viennese newspaper editor, of the „Wiener Tageszeitung“, requested the idea that Henriette should name her „roasted potatoes“ officially „Brathskartoffeln“. From then on, the fried potatoes went around the world, so to speak.

If you want to fry the original „Braths fried potatoes“, here is the original recipe from the „Journal of educated estates“ pictured. The recipe „The Preparation of Roast Potatoes“ appeared in the issue of October 28, 1907.

  Henriette Josepha Braths original recipe, with comment.

  That’s how the original „Braths“ look like, skin on or off, but for sure very rustic.

In the US, home fries (often sliced potatoes) and rösti-like hash browns are often part of a full breakfast. Fried potatoes are known in England. There are thousands of different recipes around the world.

    In Baden, South-West Germany, they are traditionally known, with bacon, as „Brägele“.  Lokal cook will call out to you: „Do hesch de Brägel“. In a giant pan the guests were served the tasty potato dish for the opening of the Brägelweeks between Feldberg and Belchen, Black Forest. Photo from an old friend: Bernhard Wehrle owner of Hotel Sonne, Todtnau. 

In Alsace, a similar dish is called Roigabrageldi. The name comes from the Alemannic and means something like „raw fried“. There are different types of preparation, both in the pan and in the pot. For example, potatoes, bacon and onions are alternately stacked. Traditionally, you can eat Roigabrageldi with green salad and smoked pork shoulder, also well known in the area as „Schaeufele“. See down here..

     Smoked and roasted pork shoulder.  Delicieux as the French say.

When I look back then I remember the early 50’s, as kid after the war, as some kind of poor. Not much to eat and taking everything chance we could get. A potato fire made from dried potato leaves, with general celebration after potato harvest, always was a kids highlight after harvest season.

       Potato harvest in the 1950’s.

            The potato perennials burn very hot and quick and we always had the smoke in our eyes, despite of the seat we choose. We also never could wait long enough, till potatoes were baked well, we started eating them half raw. This experience is burned into memory.

Bratkartoffeln, some „best“ recipes.

As mentioned before, one will find as many recipes as you ask for. I picked some out which we like and like to make. Generally we use precooked and peeled potatoes. Because I am sometimes a lazy guy with cooking, there is one exception.

Peel raw potatoes and cut into thick slices, about 5mm. Through the slices into water, that the potato starch can get out. That makes them nice and crispy and avoids sogginess.
Then put fresh water in a pan and spread the potato slices on it. They shouldn’t overlap.
Let them simmer at the highest level until the water is no longer visible.

Now add lard and/or oil to the potatoes and fry over medium heat. Be patient and just turn once or twice. Try a slice and when it is almost cooked, put the heat up and fry until the potatoes get a nice color. Then salt and serve immediately. Very plain recipe.

  Turn them one by one and fry till nicely browned.

Another recipe is this one. Prepare the potatoes as mentioned before. Then put oil in a pan and heat at the highest level, drain the potatoes through a sieve and put in the hot pan, immediately cap the pan with a lid.

After about five minutes, turn the potatoes over for the first time and then turn them occasionally, if necessary reduce the heat, but after each turn put the lid back on the pan so that the potatoes can be steam cooked. Roast like this for about 35 minutes.

10 minutes before the end of the cooking time, add a diced onion to the potatoes without mixing them with the potatoes. Stew the onions for about 5 minutes in the closed pan and then mix with the potatoes. Fry for the last five minutes in an open pan. Salt and serve.

   Delicious baked potatoes with onions.

And here another easy recipe, already made as a full meal.

Ingredients.

750 g of potatoes
1 medium yellow onion, diced
230 g of pointed cabbage or spring onions or chicory etc.
190 g mushrooms, sliced
1 clove of garlic, finely diced
1 tablespoon of peanut oil and olive oil each
pepper, nutmeg, paprika, herbal salt, chilli powder, cumin powder

How to do.

Wash and cook the potatoes – I cooked them till they just start to soften. Slice the potatoes and saute in a tablespoon of peanut oil until they get color, then season with all other ingredients (except olive oil) and stir in the onion, garlic, cabbage and mushrooms. Stir regularly till everything is cooked and browned well.

Finally, drizzle the olive oil over everything and serve immediately.

  Whole meal, onion, cabbage, mushrooms. Ideal to enjoy it directly out of the pan. We did this often during camping, having a cast iron pan on an open log fire.

Tips.

      These are our breakfast potatoes, the ones people always ask for the recipe. Intentionally a bit mushy, achieving it by using a good lot of butter. The onions and bacon are fried separately to perfection and mixed in later. A fried egg on top and you have a delicious breakfast. With this method one can prepare a lot of portions, even for a bigger „family“ .

Some serving ideas or what Germans like to eat with Bratkartoffeln.

  Bratkartoffeln with Schnitzel and an applesauce (left) or with a minced meat steak (right).

      One of the German favorites with Bratkartoffeln is „Suelze“ or „Suelzfleisch“. Its some different variety of meat (mostly pork) in aspic. Very often served with sauce remoulade, some onion dressing or salads.

  Bratkartoffeln used as side dish to a „Jaegerschnitzel“ (hunters schnitzel) or to a fine filet steak with mushrooms and cream-sauce. Left pic shows a typical fresh summer drink, white wine and sparkling lemonade.

  Another typical German dish with Bratkartoffeln is „Rollmops“ (rolled marinated herring). That sour tasting fish, served cold, is a refreshing summer meal and compliments well the salty bacon with potatoes.

               Very Bavarian, „Leberkaes“ (baked slice of meat made from liver mince) with an egg. And on the right, the vegetarian variety, eggs-spinach-bratkartoffeln. As kids, we hated that spinach meal !

      Left, an oriental idea, Bratkartoffeln with pork loin filets and a warm mixed fruit salad, served spicy. Right a heavy winter meal, Bratkartoffeln aside with beef roast and cauliflower in a curry-cream-sauce.

Finally – these are also „Brathskartoffeln“.

   The typical home fries and a pan full of French „potatoes lyonaise“. If you get hungry now and like to cook some of the dishes by yourself, then the article was done right.
I hope you enjoyed my little excursion into the „Braths“-potato world !