Kartoffelkäse or in Austria usually Erdäpfelkäse (literally: potato cheese) is a spread from the regions of Bavaria and Austria. Its ingredients include potatoes, onions and sour cream.
The name confuses as the spread does not contain any cheese (see also Leberkäse).[1] The name is considered to derive from the milky-sweet flavour.[citation needed]
The potatoes are cooked and mashed and mixed with small diced onion (in proportions 3:1) and sour cream until it becomes a spreadable mixture. This is then flavoured with salt, pepper, caraway, chives and sometimes garlic, parsley.
Some recipes suggest to mix a cooked egg but this shortens the storage life considerably.[citation needed]
The essentials in brief: Boil the potatoes. Mash while still hot. Add finely chopped onion, sour cream, chives and season to taste.[citation needed]