Potato pancake (Crique Ardéchoise)

The crique Ardéchoise is a rustic and authentic potato pancake from the Ardèche region in France. These golden, crispy galette is simply made from grated potatoes, garlic, parsley, and cooked slowly in olive oil and butter until perfectly crunchy outside and tender inside!

Prep20

Cook25

Total45

Servings

DifficultyEasy

Ingredients

6 firm-fleshed potatoes
1 cloves garlic
1 handful flat-leaf parsley
80 gr unsalted butter
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and black pepper

Equipment

Instructions

Prepare the potatoes

Peel the potatoes, rinse them well under cold water and dry them with a clean tea towel. Grate them coarsely into a large bowl. Don’t rinse them after grating, because the starch is what helps the mixture hold together.

Add the garlic and parsley

Finely chop the garlic and parsley and add them to the potatoes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then mix well with your hands so everything is evenly spread.

Rest the mixture

Leave the mixture to rest for 10 to 15 minutes, so the flavours come together and the starch helps it bind. If you’re using an egg, stir it in now until just combined.

Heat the pan

Heat a generous layer of olive oil with a little butter in a wide frying pan over a medium heat.

Cook the criques

For one large crique: Tip all the mixture into the pan and press it down gently with a spatula to about 1.5cm thick. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until the bottom is deep golden. Turn it over using a plate or spatula and cook the other side for another 10 to 12 minutes, until crisp and golden.
For small criques: Drop heaped tablespoons of the mixture into the pan and flatten each one slightly. Cook in batches for 5 to 7 minutes per side, pressing them gently with the spatula so they stay thin and crisp.

Serve

Drain the criques on kitchen paper if needed. Serve them hot, scattered with extra chopped parsley, with a green salad on the side, the way they’re eaten in the Ardèche.

Notes

One large or several small: Traditionally, the mixture goes into the pan in one go to make a single thick crique. Smaller ones give you more crispy edges and individual portions. Both are made in the Ardèche; the difference is the texture and the way you serve them.
Egg is optional: Traditional criques are made without flour or egg when the potatoes are fresh, but an egg gives a firmer texture.
Butter and olive oil: The oil stops the butter burning, and the butter adds flavour and colour.
Be patient: Cook them slowly over a medium heat. That’s what makes a crique crisp all the way through rather than burnt outside and raw inside.

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