Main dishes
Draniki (potato pancakes)
Draniki are Belarusian potato pancakes with crisp, lacy edges and soft centres. All you need is potatoes, onion, an egg and a little flour, yet they rarely make it from the pan to the table. The trick is to grate the potato together with the onion, which keeps the mixture from turning grey. Squeeze out the excess liquid, otherwise the pancakes will be soggy and fall apart. Fry them thin in properly hot oil and they come out golden and crunchy. A kilo of potatoes makes about 20 draniki.
Method
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Peel the potatoes and onion. Finely grate them into one bowl, alternating a little potato and a little onion.
Tip into a sieve or cloth and squeeze out the liquid. Let the liquid stand for 2 minutes, pour off the water and add the starch from the bottom back to the potatoes.
Add the egg, flour, about 1 teaspoon of salt and some pepper. Mix well.
Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat, about 3 mm deep.
Drop in tablespoons of the mixture and spread them straight away into thin pancakes 5-7 mm thick.
Fry for 3-4 minutes until deep golden, turn and cook for another 3 minutes.
Drain on kitchen paper. Stir the mixture before each batch and add more oil as needed.
Tips for success
- Work quickly: grated potato starts to darken within 10-15 minutes.
- The thinner the pancake, the crisper it is. Thick ones stay soft and can be raw in the middle.
- Don't flip them too early, let the crust set first.
- Keep cooked draniki warm in a 100°C oven while you fry the rest.
Serving and storage
Serve hot with sour cream. Fried onions with crispy bacon, mushroom sauce or smoked salmon are classic additions.
Keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in a dry frying pan or the oven for 5-7 minutes; the microwave makes them soggy.
Variations
- With meat: put a spoonful of mince on a pancake, cover with more potato mixture and fry for 2 minutes longer.
- Cheesy: add 80 g of grated cheese and some crushed garlic.
- Flour-free: use 1 tablespoon of potato starch instead of flour to make them gluten-free.
Calories and macros
Per serving (about 356 g):
Per 100 g: 144 kcal, P 2.5, F 8.2, C 14.9. An estimate based on average ingredient values. Your daily calories ›
