Döppekooche

Döppekooche (High German: pot cake) is a traditional Eifel potato dish from the oven that used to be considered "poor people's food". The secret of Döppekoochen lies in the way it is prepared: it should be made in a cast-iron pot. Only then does it get its special taste.

Ingredients:
1 kg potatoes
2 eggs
1 grated onion
2 tbsp starch
200 g bacon slices
Salt
Nutmeg
Butter (for greasing)

Peel and coarsely grate the potatoes. Place the grated potatoes in a cloth and squeeze out the liquid. Add the eggs, onion and starch to the potato mixture, season with salt and nutmeg and then mix well. Grease a cast-iron pan well with butter and line with slices of bacon. Now alternate layers of potato mixture and bacon slices, with the top layer consisting of potatoes. Bake the Döppekooche in the oven at 200 degrees for approx. 2 hours until a nice brown crust forms.

In the Eifel, Döppekooche is often served with brown bread spread with butter and apple sauce.

There are also new variations of Döppekooche, for example with vegetables, rabbit, dips and spicy sauces. The Eifel specialty can also be enjoyed as a sweet with cinnamon, apples and raisins.