The recipe is beautifully simple: grated potato mixed with egg, a little flour, onion and salt, then fried in a pan until golden brown and crunchy on the outside. The inside stays soft and fluffy. They are served piping hot, often with a spoonful of cold apple sauce or soured cream on top.
Potato dishes became popular in Luxembourg centuries ago because potatoes grow well in the local soil and climate. They were an important food for farming families who needed something filling and cheap to cook. Today gromper keeschelchen are enjoyed purely for the pleasure of eating them.
At the Schueberfouer fair in Luxembourg City, you can see enormous pans of gromper keeschelchen being flipped by expert cooks who make hundreds at a time. The smell drifts across the whole fairground and is one of the most welcoming aromas of the Luxembourgish summer.
Each family has its own small variations — some add a pinch of nutmeg, some use spring onions, and some like them thicker or thinner. But they always come out golden, crispy and delicious.