Ingredients
Batter
- 1 kgfloury potatoes, peeled
- 2eggs
- 4 tbspplain flour
- 4 clovesgarlic, crushed
- 2 tspdried marjoram
- 1 tspcaraway seeds, lightly crushed
- 1 tspsalt
- ½ tspblack pepper
- 100 mlmilk, if needed
To fry
- 250 mloil or lard
Directions
- Grate the potatoes very finely, finer than you would for rösti and almost to a purée. Bramborák is a smooth batter rather than a mat of shreds, and that is what separates it from its German and Polish neighbours.
- Do not drain off the liquid. Unlike boxty or latkes, the potato water stays in and becomes part of the batter, and pouring it away leaves the mixture dry and crumbly.
- Stir in the eggs, flour, garlic, marjoram, crushed caraway, salt and pepper, adding a splash of milk only if the batter is too stiff to spread.
- Rub the dried marjoram between your palms as it goes in, which wakes up the oils. Marjoram and garlic are the two flavours that make this Czech rather than generically Central European, and both should be unmistakable.
- Let the batter rest for 10 minutes, then stir it again, because it will have separated in the bowl.
- Heat about 5 mm of oil or lard in a heavy pan until a drop of batter sizzles the moment it lands.
- Spoon the batter in and spread each one thin, to about 5 mm, then fry for 3 to 4 minutes a side until deep brown and lacy and crisp round the edges.
- Drain on a rack rather than paper and eat them at once, standing up, which is how they are sold at Bohemian Christmas markets.
Technique
- Grate fine, keep the liquid, spread thin, fry hot. Thick bramboráky steam themselves and go grey in the middle.
- Floury potatoes only. Waxy ones hold their shape and refuse to break down into a batter.
- They do not keep. Ten minutes after leaving the pan they have already softened.
Substitutions
- Beaten egg white folded in at the end for a lighter pancake.
- Duck or goose fat for frying, which is worth doing if you have it.
Variations
- With chopped smoked sausage or salami stirred through the batter.
- Made thick and baked in a tray as a single cake, then cut into squares.
- Fried large and wrapped around smoked pork, sold at markets as a filled roll.
History
Grated potato pancake with garlic and marjoram, fried at markets and Christmas fairs across Bohemia.
Frequently asked questions
What is Bramborák?
Bramborák is a snack from Czechia: garlic-marjoram potato pancake fried crisp. Grated potato pancake with garlic and marjoram, fried at markets and Christmas fairs across Bohemia.
How long does Bramborák take to make?
Bramborák takes 20 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 8 pancakes. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Bramborák?
Yes, within limits. Beaten egg white folded in at the end for a lighter pancake. Duck or goose fat for frying, which is worth doing if you have it.
What is the most important thing to get right in Bramborák?
Grate the potatoes very finely, finer than you would for rösti and almost to a purée. Bramborák is a smooth batter rather than a mat of shreds, and that is what separates it from its German and Polish neighbours.
