Luxembourgish Gromperekichelcher

Gromperekichelcher are arguably one of Luxembourg’s most beloved fun fair and Christmas market snacks. It’s the highlight of the annual ‘Schueberfouer’, a massive fun fair that pops up in the city for three weeks, with rollercosters, fun rides and lots of streetfood.

Gromperekichelcher are deep-fried potato cakes, made with onion, egg and parsley, and usually served with an apple compote dip. Personally, I also enjoy them with a cheeky dollop of Luxembourg mustard.

They’re really easy to make at home. If you don’t want to eat them straight from the pan (and finish cooking first), you can pop them in a hot oven while you fry the rest off. They are also suitable for freezing after frying. Just defrost them and fry them again in a pan with a bit of oil, or reheat them in a hot oven until crispy.

Usually Gromperekichelcher are served with apple compote, but I’ve recently discovered that apple chutney is even better! The slight acidity is delicious paired with the crispy fritters. If you want to stay traditional, serve them with sweet apple compote, but I dare you to try it with chutney – and I think you won’t look back!

If you’re looking for more traditional Luxembourgish recipes, check out my book ‘Tastes of Luxembourg‘. There are also plenty of Luxembourg-inspired recipes (with a little twist) in my recipe archive.

This recipe was filmed as part of my ‘Tastes of Luxembourg’ series for RTL Today. You can watch it here on RTL Play.

Ingredients

2 potatoes (300g)
1 onion (100g)
1 egg
2 tbsp flour
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp parsley, chopped
sunflower oil

apple compote, to serve

OR Apple chutney:
2 apples
1 small onion
1 tbsp sunflower oil
100g sugar
100ml white wine vinegar
½ tsp salt
pepper

Method

Makes 4 – Prep 20’ + 30’ resting – Vegetarian

Peel the potatoes and onion, grate and put into a bowl. Add the egg, flour, salt and parsley, mix well and leave to rest for 30 minutes.

When the Gromperekichelcher are ready, stir the potato mix, as it will have gathered some water at the bottom of the bowl.

Pour some sunflower oil into a frying pan, so that the entire bottom of the pan is covered in oil. Heat the oil and test if the oil is hot enough by dropping a tiny bit of batter in – if it starts bubbling, you’re ready.

Divide the potato mix into 4 portions and form 4 Gromperekichelcher in the pan.

Fry on each side for about 2-3 minutes. Take out of the pan and put onto a plate lined with kitchen paper, to absorb some of the grease.

Sprinkle with a bit of salt and serve immediately with a dollop of apple compote or apple chutney.

For the apple chutney: Cut open the apples, core, peel and cut into 2cm cubes. Peel and finely chop the onion. Fry the onion in oil with a pinch of salt for 4 minutes until soft. Add the apples, sugar, vinegar, salt and a bit of pepper. Cover and cook for 3 minutes until the apple has softened. Uncover and cook for another 6 minutes, stirring regularly, until the liquid has evaporated. Take off the heat and mash with a potato masher. Set aside to cool.