Mom's perkedel kentang are crispy on the outside, soft and savory on the inside. Now with an easier method by steaming, pressure cooking if you don't want to fry the potatoes.
Cut the potatoes into large quarters and steam over high heat for 15-20 minutes or until you can mash easily with a fork. Drain off any excess liquid that is pooling in your steaming plate/tray and mash while the potatoes are still warm and then let the potatoes sit in the steamer for 10 minutes or longer to "dry up". This is very important because if the potatoes aren't dry enough, your perkedel will be too soft and fall apart during frying
If you pressure cook the potato in Instant Pot:
Fill inner pot with 1 cup of water. Put a collapsible steamer rack inside the inner pot. Cut the potatoes into large quarters and place potatoes on the steamer rack. Close the lid and pressure cook on high for 5 minutes. Wait 5 minutes and then release pressure. Unlock the lid and the potatoes sit in there for 10 minutes to "dry up". This is very important because if the potatoes aren't dry enough, your perkedel will be too soft and fall apart during frying. Then carefully remove the potatoes. Mash while they are still warm
If you choose to fry the potatoes:
Cut the potato into about 1-inch piece. Deep fry the diced potato until cooked but not too brown or it will be hard to mash. Place them in a large mixing bowl and mash with a fork while still warm because it's easier to do so
Mix with other ingredients:
Add the rest of the ingredients for perkedel and mix everything thoroughly. If the potato dough feels a bit too soft, you can add a bit more cornstarch, tablespoon by tablespoon as needed. Some potatoes have more moisture than the others. Shape into patties and put them in the fridge to cool down without covering (so there won't be any condensation forms because the mixture is still warm) for 1 hour. We don't want to fry them when they are warm as they will be fragile and break apart during frying
If you plan to make this the next day, shape them into patties and cools down completely at room temperature then cover and put in the fridge until the next day when you are ready to shape and fry
Shape and cook:
Lightly oil your palms with some cooking oil. Form the mashed potato mixture into balls (it's up to you how big you want it), then slightly flatten into patties, about 1/2-inch in thickness. Coat the perkedel in an egg you beaten earlier
Preheat about 1-inch of cooking oil. When the oil is hot enough, lower the heat to medium. If you fry over high heat, the perkedel may break apart and also we want the meat to be cooked through inside. Deep fry until golden brown on one side, about 2-3 minutes and then flip over to the other side and fry until golden brown for another 2-3 minutes. Keep your eyes on them as they may brown faster if your perkedel is smaller in size. Place on absorbent paper towel and serve warm or room temperature on its own or with other dish