Potato Pancakes is authentic Belarussian food. Draniki is a Belarussian name of pancakes prepared from finely grated raw potatoes.
As far as I remember myself from my childhood, my grandma cooked draniki. My mom cooked them regularly on weekends – my sister and I loved them. I also cook these delicious pancakes for my family – my husband and son like them a lot. This is a traditional and very much loved in Belarus dish. It is also very popular in neighborhood countries: Russia, Ukraine, Litvania.
Draniki use simple ingredients, but the preparation takes time. Potatoes have to be finely grated using the star-side of the four-sided grater box. Potatoes can be finely processed using a food processor BUT the potato mixture would have a different structure, so the taste would be different. To get an original taste of the Belarussian draniki, I recommend grating potatoes manually. Just be very careful and do not hurt your fingers with a sharp grater.
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs Russet potatoes – use bigger ones as it is easy to grate them
- 1 small yellow onion
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp sour cream
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- 5-6 Tbsp flavorless vegetable oil
Cooking Directions:
- Peel, wash and finely grate the potatoes and the onion using the star-side of the four-sided grater box. The onion will help you to keep grated potatoes from turning brown.
- Drain the potato-onion mixture a little bit using a fine strainer to remove excess of the liquid.
- In a large bowl, combine the potato mixture, the egg, flour, sour cream, and salt and mix using a tablespoon until smooth.
- Heat the frying pan with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Put a full tablespoon of the mixture from the bowl onto the frying pan and form small round pancakes. Flip over once browned and crispy – about 2 – 3 minutes on each side. Continue with the remaining mixture adding more vegetable oil as needed.
Serve while hot with a dollop of sour cream and fresh vegetables. Enjoy delicious taste and flavor of the draniki! Yum 🙂