Draniki are the daily potato pancakes of Belarus — a country with one of the world's highest potato consumption rates, where the tuber earned the affectionate name 'second bread'. Grated potato is fried crisp and eaten with sour cream.
Pick up a draniki — deep golden-brown crispy edges, dense potato-and-egg interior, hot. Bite: outside shattering crisp, inside soft and dense with potato's earthy starchiness, onion's sweet bite, the egg binding. Spoon smetana on top — cool cream against hot crisp. With a glass of cold kvass or beer, this is Belarus on every plate.
Grating raw potato + saving the starch creates the binding. Squeezing prevents soggy pancakes. Medium-high heat creates the crispy edges without burning the interior.
Variations
With added mushroom (kolduny). With meat filling underneath. With mashed potato instead of grated (different texture). With chopped chives. With grated cheese added. Sweet version with applesauce.
On the Palate
Where Draniki sits in the Belarusian flavor cloud
Squeeze the grated potato hard and stir the reserved starch sediment back in — that dry-then-rebind step is the whole difference between lacy, crisp draniki and soggy grey pancakes.
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
9 steps · 30 min active + 10 min waiting
- 18 min
Peel and grate 800 g potatoes finely.
- 26 min
Squeeze grated potato in cheesecloth to remove excess liquid (reserve liquid for 5 min then pour off water, keeping the starch sediment at bottom).
- 36 min
Combine drained potato + reserved starch + 1 grated onion + 1 egg + 3 tbsp flour + 1 tsp salt + 1/2 tsp pepper.
- 42 min
Mix to a thick batter.
Watch outThe batter should be thick enough to heap on a spoon and hold its shape, not run — if it's loose, add the starch or a spoon of flour.
- 51 min
Heat 4 tbsp oil in a heavy pan over medium-high.
- 62 min
Drop heaping tablespoons of batter into pan; flatten slightly.
Watch outFlatten each mound only slightly so the edges thin out and lace as they fry.
- 78 min
Cook 3-4 min per side until deep golden brown and crispy at edges.
Watch outFlip only once each side is deep golden and the edge looks crisp and set — too early and it tears.
- 81 min
Drain on paper towels.
- 91 min
Serve hot with smetana sour cream, optionally with mushroom or meat filling underneath.
