Draniki

Ingredients

Pancakes

• 1.2 kgfloury potatoes (Bintje or Maris Piper), peeled
• 1large onion, peeled
• 1egg (optional, see notes)
• 2 tbspplain flour (optional)
• 1½ tsp salt
• ½ tspground black pepper

To fry

• 150 mlsunflower oil, for shallow frying

To serve

• 300 gsmetana or thick sour cream
• 2 tbspdill, chopped
• 2 tbspspring onion, sliced

Directions

1. Grate the potatoes on the fine side of a box grater, not in a food processor — the fine, almost pulpy shred is what makes draniki rather than rosti.
2. Grate the onion straight into the potato as you go. Its acidity keeps the mixture from oxidising to grey while you work.
3. Tip the mass into a sieve set over a bowl and press lightly to release the liquid. Let the liquid stand 3–4 minutes, pour off the clear water and scrape the white starch from the bottom of the bowl back into the potato.
4. Season with the salt and pepper, and beat in the egg and flour if you are using them. Work quickly; the batter should be loose and pourable, not stiff.
5. Heat a generous 3 mm depth of sunflower oil in a heavy frying pan over medium-high heat until a drop of batter sizzles immediately.
6. Drop in tablespoons of batter and flatten each to a rough disc about 8 cm across and 6 mm thick. Do not crowd the pan; four at a time is right.
7. Fry 3–4 minutes on the first side without moving them, until the edge is lace-brown and crisp and the top has gone matte, then flip and fry 2–3 minutes more.
8. Drain briefly on a rack and eat straight away, while the edges still shatter and the centre is soft and creamy. Serve with cold smetana, dill and spring onion.

Technique

• Belarusian cooks argue about the egg and flour. The purist version is potato, onion and salt only, held together by the reclaimed potato starch; the egg makes them sturdier but slightly rubbery.
• Never squeeze the grated potato dry the way you would for rosti. Draniki should be juicy inside, and you want the starch back in the mix as the binder.
• The batter greys within minutes of standing. Grate, season and fry in one continuous run rather than mixing ahead.
• Belarus grows and eats more potato per head than almost anywhere; draniki are eaten as a full meal, not a side.

Substitutions

• No smetana: strained full-fat yoghurt whisked with a little double cream and a pinch of salt is the closest sour, thick dairy substitute.
• Waxy potatoes will work but give a stringier, wetter pancake — if that is all you have, add the flour and an extra egg white.

Variations

• Draniki z hrybami: a spoonful of fried mushroom and onion pressed between two spoonfuls of batter before frying.
• Draniki baked in a clay pot under a blanket of smetana until the top sets, a soft, casserole-like version served in winter.

History

Grated potato pancakes fried in oil; potatoes became the Belarusian staple in the nineteenth century and shaped the country’s cooking.

Frequently asked questions

What is Draniki?

Draniki is a main from Belarus: crisp grated-potato pancakes with smetana, national favorite. Grated potato pancakes fried in oil; potatoes became the Belarusian staple in the nineteenth century and shaped the country’s cooking.

How long does Draniki take to make?

Draniki takes 25 min of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings (about 16 pancakes). It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Draniki?

Yes, within limits. No smetana: strained full-fat yoghurt whisked with a little double cream and a pinch of salt is the closest sour, thick dairy substitute. Waxy potatoes will work but give a stringier, wetter pancake — if that is all you have, add the flour and an extra egg white.

What is the most important thing to get right in Draniki?

Grate the potatoes on the fine side of a box grater, not in a food processor — the fine, almost pulpy shred is what makes draniki rather than rosti.