Draniki, delicious, tender potato pancakes with a golden-brown crispy crust, are considered a Belarusian national dish, although German gourmets were the first to master their preparation. Draniki are loved in many countries, but they are called differently. Ukrainians prepare potato pancakes, tertiukhi and kremzliks. Poles fry plyatski, Czechs fry bramborak, and in different regions of Russia potato pancakes are known as kakorki, teruntsy and derik. The technology for making potato pancakes is simple - potatoes are crushed, mixed with eggs, flour, onions, garlic and seasonings, and then fried in oil like pancakes. Both adults and children love juicy, appetizing potato pancakes, and preparing this dish is easy, quick and enjoyable.

First secret: good potatoes

Young potatoes are not suitable for potato pancakes, since they are not very starchy and the potato pancakes can spread or burn. In this case, starch or eggs are added for the binder, which are sometimes replaced with beaten egg whites. For 1 kg of potatoes, 2 eggs or 1–2 tbsp are enough. l. starch. By the way, some chefs believe that eggs make pancakes too dense, so it all depends on tastes and preferences.

So, peeled potatoes are grated on a fine or coarse grater or ground in a food processor, blender, or meat grinder. It is no coincidence that potato pancakes are called teruns - from the word “to rub” or in the Ukrainian manner - “to tear”. Sometimes in recipes there is advice to grate half the potatoes finely and half coarsely. They say that this way the potato pancakes retain their shape better. For some reason, it is believed that for potato pancakes you need to chop the potatoes by hand, but this is not at all necessary. After all, we live in the 21st century, and the most difficult work in the kitchen has long been performed by equipment.

Second secret: less flour

A large amount of flour spoils the taste of potato pancakes, and they become rubbery. If the potato mixture turns out to be liquid, place it on a sieve and allow the liquid to drain. At the same time, starch will remain at the bottom of the cup with potato juice, which is added to potatoes instead of flour and eggs. The crust of these potato pancakes turns out crispy and tasty. If you don’t have time to strain potato juice, instead of flour you can add semolina, which absorbs excess liquid and makes it tender, juicy and fluffy. For 1 kg of potatoes usually take 1-2 tbsp. l. flour or 3-4 tbsp. l. decoys.

The third secret: seasonings and proper frying

One of the subtleties of preparing classic potato pancakes is seasonings and spices. Along with the potatoes, the onion is also ground in a blender, which prevents the potato mass from quickly darkening. In addition to salt, garlic, black pepper, dried herbs and favorite spices are added to the potatoes. Fry potato pancakes only in a hot frying pan with a large amount of vegetable, melted butter or melted lard. If you cook pancakes in a warm frying pan, they will look like boiled potato cutlets. The finished potato pancakes are placed on a wire rack or on a paper towel to remove unnecessary fat, and served with sour cream, mayonnaise, ketchup, meat and mushroom sauce. Belarusian housewives prepare a traditional machanka sauce, which contains meat trimmings, sausage, lard and onions.

Unusual ways to prepare potato pancakes

In western Ukraine, they make potato pancakes the size of a large pancake, fry them on both sides, put meat, mushroom or vegetable filling on one side and decorate the top with sour cream. It is enough to eat one such potato pancake to fill you up for half a day. Sometimes, during the process of kneading the dough, fried onions and mushrooms, grated cheese, cereal, minced meat, pieces of chicken, fish and vegetables, seafood, squeezed cottage cheese, an apple are added to it, and if the mass turns out to be dry, it is diluted with a small amount of milk or sour cream. There is an interesting recipe for Swiss Rösti pancakes made from boiled potatoes with cheese, fried like cutlets and served with herbs and sour cream sauce. If you are on a diet, learn to cook potato pancakes in a slow cooker without fat. They, of course, will not be so juicy, but the calorie content of the dish will decrease several times. “Lazy” pancakes are usually prepared by bachelors by grating the potatoes along with the skin, but otherwise the recipe does not differ from ordinary pancakes.

Stuffed potato pancakes, reminiscent of zrazy, are very tasty. Place minced meat, fish, vegetables or mushrooms on a potato pancake, place a little dough on top to cover the filling and fry on both sides. Draniki with meat are called sorcerers in Belarusian cuisine. This option is not dietary, but very appetizing.

Draniki are often baked on a baking sheet with sour cream or in pots, sandwiched with meat, mushrooms and vegetables. In the oven they simmer under the cheese cap and become even softer and more tender than fried ones.

Three original recipes

Ukrainian pancakes

Grind 1 kg of potatoes and 1 onion, let the liquid drain, add 300 g of cottage cheese, 2 eggs and any spices. Knead the dough well and fry the potato pancakes in oil like pancakes.

Draniki with seeds

Grate 600 g of peeled raw potatoes, 1 onion and 1 clove of garlic or chop in a food processor. Squeeze the potatoes or let the juice drain on its own. Add 3 eggs and 200 ml of hot milk to the mixture, mix well and pour in a handful of seeds, which can be crushed a little beforehand. Season the dough with salt, pepper, fresh basil and fry in a hot frying pan. You can serve these pancakes with a poached egg.

Draniki with oat flakes

Pour boiling water over 1 glass of rolled oats and leave for 10–15 minutes. Grate 2 peeled potatoes, squeeze and combine with 1 finely chopped onion, mix with steamed oatmeal and a pinch of oregano. Next, we form pancakes, fry and serve with sour cream.

A versatile homemade meal that can be varied in any way you like. This dish always turns out delicious, so even a novice housewife can master it. It is not necessary to serve potato pancakes as a side dish; they are also good as an independent dish. Ruddy and crispy potato pancakes, melting in your mouth, sometimes disappear from the plate before the family gathers at the table. And for any housewife this is the best recognition of her culinary skills!

Lots of stories about potato pancakes

So what are potato pancakes? These are pancakes made from grated potatoes. They are prepared in Ukraine, Belarus, Germany, Lithuania, and Israel. However, it is easier to list those countries where they are not prepared. There is an opinion that potato pancakes are a dish of Belarusian cuisine. Although the residents of Ukraine consider it theirs, calling potato pancakes potato pancakes. In Israel, potato pancakes are called latex, and they are always prepared for Hanukkah. The Germans call potato pancakes kartoffelpuffer - potato pancakes, and they prepare countless quantities of them for Christmas.

Be that as it may, the first recipe for potato pancakes was published in the cookbook of the Pole Jan Schytler in 1830, where he noted that this dish was borrowed from German cuisine. Naturally, there are differences in the recipes of not only different nations, but also different housewives, but the main component that unites all these recipes is grated potatoes. The Belarusian name “draniky” or the Ukrainian name “deruny” comes from the Old Slavonic word “tear”, which means “to rub”. Since, as already mentioned, the main ingredient of potato pancakes is potatoes, it’s worth putting in a good word for them. Potatoes came, or rather sailed, to us from South America, where the Indians considered them a divine gift.

After the discovery of America by Columbus, potatoes appeared in Europe in 1551. At first it was used as an ornamental plant, but over time the nutritional and taste qualities of potatoes were appreciated by Europeans and potato dishes took their rightful place. Potatoes were brought from Western Europe to Ukraine and Belarus. The climate and soil suited him; the peasants not only learned to grow potatoes and store them until the next harvest, but also to prepare various dishes from them. Among them were potato pancakes.

About the benefits of potato pancakes

As we have already found out, potato pancakes are a potato dish. What benefit do we have from potatoes? First of all, potatoes are rich in carbohydrates and proteins, which contain a large amount of amino acids, vitamins C and P, which help strengthen the walls of blood vessels. And such a microelement as potassium, which is also found in potatoes, has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the heart. The lack of this trace element causes muscle cramps. You can compensate for its deficiency by regularly eating baked potatoes.

Potatoes also contain a lot of fiber. Therefore, potato dishes in our diet help improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Raw potato juice is very useful. They treat high acidity of the stomach and treat burns. Scientists recently discovered the ability of potato juice to destroy cancer cells. Powders are prepared from potato starch for children against dermatitis and diaper rash. If we talk about potato pancakes, it is worth noting that this is far from a dietary dish. They should not be recommended to those who have problems with seasonal exacerbations of gastrointestinal diseases, biliary dyskinesia, or increased stomach acidity.

To prepare potato pancakes we will need the following ingredients:

• 1 kg of potatoes;
• 1 medium onion;
• 1 egg;
• 2 tablespoons flour;
• salt, black and red pepper to taste;
• sunflower oil for frying.

The main component of potato pancakes is potatoes. Therefore, we approach its choice very responsibly. Not every variety makes delicious potato pancakes. It is best to choose the “Nevsky” or “Sineglazka” variety. These potato varieties have a fairly high starch content, they are soft and easy to grate.

Potato pancakes, recipe with photo

1. First, let's prepare the necessary products.
2. Peel and wash clean potatoes.

   

3. You can grind it in a food processor, or you can grate it the old fashioned way. The taste of potato pancakes also depends on which grater you choose - with small or large holes.

   

4. Lightly squeeze the grated potatoes, but do not pour out the juice, but let it settle.

   

5. Meanwhile, peel the onion and grind it in a blender.

   

6. Carefully drain the potato juice; we don’t need it. Leave the starch that has settled at the bottom. Add egg, flour, chopped onion, salt and pepper to the potato mixture.

   

7. Mix everything well. The result was a thick potato dough.

   

8. Pour vegetable oil into a frying pan and heat it well.

   

9. Spread the potato mixture with a tablespoon, giving it an oval or round shape. If you like crispy potato pancakes, you need to make them as thin as possible.

   

10. When the edges of the potato pancakes are already browned, turn them over.

    

11. Fry the potato pancakes for another minute.

    

12. From the proposed amount of products, about 20 potato pancakes are obtained. Serve them with sour cream, mushroom sauce, caviar or cracklings with onions.

    

Sometimes grated zucchini, carrots, and raw mushrooms, cut into pieces, are added to the potato mixture. Naturally, the taste of potato pancakes changes. Draniki can also be served in pots. To do this, they are layered with fried mushrooms, meat, carrots and onions, poured with sour cream or cream and simmered in the oven. Try making potato pancakes according to Khozoboz’s recipe, you will love them!

Potatoes themselves are tasty in almost any form except raw. Potatoes are mashed, fried, boiled, baked. But today I propose to prepare delicious potato pancakes.

Draniki are pancakes made from grated potatoes. They are also called pancakes, potato cakes. Every corner of our world has its own name for this dish. But no matter what you call it, it will taste like potato pancakes and nothing else.

Draniki have been prepared since Peter the Great brought potatoes to Russia. Not right away, of course, but over time, people began to understand a little that so many people loved this dish. So all possible recipes for making these flatbreads began to appear. Draniki with cheese, with mushrooms, with minced meat, in general, for every taste and color. So let's not talk too long and let's start preparing these flatbreads.

Ingredients.

• 6 medium potatoes.
• 1 egg.
• 1 onion.
• 2 tbsp. spoons of wheat flour.
• A pinch of salt.
• Allspice to taste.
• 1-2 tbsp. spoons of sour cream.
• Vegetable oil.

Cooking process.

1. And so, to prepare potato pancakes, you need to peel and chop the potatoes. Grind the potatoes using any available method. You can grate it or use a blender. In both cases, after grinding, the released juice will need to be squeezed out.

2. After the potatoes, chop the onion in the same way.

3. Mix the two masses in a bowl. Add salt, egg, pepper, flour and mix until smooth.

Some chefs claim that you need to add a tablespoon of sour cream to this dough to make the dough much fluffier. For me, potato pancakes are not a dish from which you will expect splendor. That's why I never add sour cream to potato pancakes. But if you want to try, no one forbids you to do it.

And so the dough is ready, now you can start frying it.

4. Pour oil into a frying pan, heat it and place portions of dough onto the hot oil using a tablespoon.

5. Fry on one side, then on the other.

A little advice. To ensure that the potatoes do not burn and are well fried, you do not need to apply too much heat under the frying pan. For optimal frying, it is better to choose medium or low heat. Then the potato pancake will not burn and will be baked from the inside.

6. Serve ready-made pancakes with sour cream and milk. Bon appetit.

Draniki with cheese

Ingredients.

• 5-7 potatoes.
• 1 carrot.
• 1 onion.
• 200 grams of cheese.
• 2 tbsp. spoons flour.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Vegetable oil.
• 1-2 cloves of garlic.
• Half a bunch of dill.

Cooking process.

1. We also chop the vegetables. For me, the easiest way is to put everything through a meat grinder. It turns out both quickly and efficiently. True, then you will have to wash the meat grinder, and this is a little longer than a grater. Well, okay, for the sake of such pancakes, you can wash the meat grinder :).

2. But you still have to use a grater since you can’t grind the cheese through a meat grinder.

3. All that remains is to finely chop the dill and garlic. These will be the filling components; you also need to add cheese to them.

4. Now everything is ready, let's do the dough. Mix ingredients in one large bowl. Potatoes, carrots, onions, eggs. Mix and add flour. Mix everything again until you get a good dough.

The dough is ready, you can start preparing pancakes.

5. Take a tablespoon and place part of the dough on hot vegetable oil. Then we take the cheese filling and place it on top of the raw dough and cover with the potato dough.

6. It turns out that the cheese remains closed on both sides by the potatoes. After frying on one side, turn it over to the other and fry until crusty.

7. We prepared according to the same principle. Check out the recipe if you haven’t made these belyashi.

Potato pancakes with meat

Ingredients.

• Potatoes 1 kg.
• Minced meat 400 grams.
• Egg 1 pc.
• Half a lemon.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Vegetable oil.

Cooking process.

1. Grate the potatoes. Add salt, pepper, juice from half a lemon, and an egg. And mix. Lemon juice will prevent the potatoes from darkening and will keep them looking beautiful.

2. Prepare minced meat according to the classics. Add salt, pepper and chopped onion. Mix well.

3. Place grated potatoes on top of a little minced meat in your palm, then more potatoes and close the minced meat inside. If there are not enough potatoes, you can take an additional portion. It is important to close the edges so that the juice from the minced meat remains inside the cutlet during frying.

4. Place the finished stuffed pancakes on a plate or paper towel.

Before frying, you can roll in flour or breadcrumbs.

5. Fry in vegetable oil until cooked.

6. You can also prepare potato pancakes with meat according to the recipe provided above. And so and so will be correct. Well, which recipe did you like best, you can write in the comments below.

Potato pancakes with mushrooms

Ingredients.

• Potatoes 500 grams.
• Eggs 2 pcs.
• Flour 2 tbsp. spoons.
• Onion 1 pc.
• Mushrooms 300 gr.
• Vegetable oil.
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Cooking process.

And so let's start preparing potato pancakes by preparing the filling.

1. You can take any mushrooms that you managed to get. According to the classics, I will have champignons.

2. I cut the mushrooms and onions into cubes, place them in a frying pan and fry until tender.

3. I pass the potatoes through a grater and add salt, pepper, egg and flour. I'll knead the dough.

4. Place the ingredients on the heated oil in the following order. Potatoes, mushrooms, potatoes.

5. Fry on both sides. In order to fry well, you need to turn each pancake several times.

Bon appetit.

How to cook potato pancakes without flour

Ingredients.

• Potatoes 400 grams.
• 1 carrot.
• 2 eggs.
• 1 onion.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Vegetable oil.

Cooking process.

1. Grate potatoes, onions and carrots on a fine grater.

2. Place egg, salt and pepper in one bowl and mix well.

3. The egg will act as a binder. And therefore, potato pancakes will keep their shape well when frying.

4. Place the dough in portions in a small frying pan and fry on both sides alternately until nicely crusted.

• After the potato pancakes are cooked, place them on a paper napkin. This will help remove any remaining vegetable oil from the potato pancakes.

• Cooled pancakes can always be reheated in the microwave or in a frying pan with a lid. And they will become fragrant and tasty again.

• To prevent the grated potatoes from darkening, add onion or lemon juice to it. You can simply mince the onion or finely chop it.

• When frying potato pancakes, pour a 3-4 mm layer of oil and do not heat it too much. Also, after frying on both sides, you can simmer them under a lid over low heat.

• For additional filling, use carrots, zucchini, and cabbage.

• You can also add your favorite seasonings to the pancake dough. And to add a spicy taste, add garlic, ginger or hot pepper.

Oh, potatoes, delicious! Hardly anyone can disagree with this. True, potatoes were not always so popular. It first appeared in Russia under Peter the Great, but was met with misunderstanding. For a long time he was treated with caution and distrust. They considered him almost a “damn apple.” The main food root crop in those days was turnip. Only during the reign of Catherine the Second, potatoes gradually began to win the sympathy of the peasants, then completely pushing aside turnips, they became a highly revered and beloved root vegetable.

Potatoes are good both boiled and fried, in the form of mashed potatoes and pancakes. Pancakes are a mass of chopped raw potatoes, with the addition of eggs and flour, which are fried like small pancakes in a frying pan in oil. This dish is found in many national cuisines, but differs in minor preparation options - garlic, apples, onions can be added to the dough or cooked without flour and eggs. But the main ingredient is always potatoes. Potato pancakes are also called differently. In Ukraine they are more often spoken as “deruns”, in some areas – “kremzliks” or “tertyukhi”, in Poland – “plyatski”, in the Czech Republic – “bramboraki”, in Russia – “teruntsy”, “kakorki”, “deriks”, in Belarus - “pancakes”. It was the Belarusian name that stuck and was liked the most. Draniki are served hot, with butter, sour cream, cracklings, mayonnaise, ketchup, and apple mousse. Sometimes, to diversify the dish, pancakes are made with meat, cheese, and mushrooms.

Potato pancakes - food preparation

Preparing potato pancakes is quite simple and easy. The only labor-intensive process is chopping the potatoes. It is believed that in order for the pancakes to turn out especially tasty and fried, the potatoes must be grated manually on a grater, and precisely on a fine one. Although this is a matter of personal tastes and preferences. So, to prepare potato pancakes, the tubers need to be washed, peeled and chopped. In addition to a grater, a meat grinder and a food processor or blender also work well with this process. Then, based on your desire or recipe instructions, add eggs, flour, pepper, mushrooms, garlic, seasonings to the dough, or limit yourself to the only additional ingredient in the form of salt. Mix the mixture well and fry the pancakes in hot oil, spooning them out with a large spoon. To speed up the frying process, you can use two frying pans at the same time.

Potato pancakes - the best recipes

Recipe 1: Potato pancakes - traditional

The simplest and most common potato pancakes. There is no need to say that they are very tasty; this is accepted by default. Potatoes simply cannot be tasteless. If you are preparing them for the first time, you can start with this recipe. The dough includes potatoes, flour and eggs. This is enough to get crispy, delicious, rosy potato pancakes.

Ingredients: 4 potatoes, 4 tablespoons. flour, 2 eggs, salt, vegetable oil.

Cooking method

Wash, peel and grate potato tubers - finely, coarsely, or pass through a meat grinder. Add eggs, flour, salt and mix thoroughly to avoid the appearance of lumps.

Pour oil into the frying pan, wait until it gets hot and spoon out the potato mixture. When one side is fried to a crisp, turn it over. Potato pancakes fry quite quickly, so it’s better not to leave the pan.

Recipe 2: Potato pancakes without eggs

Potato pancakes without eggs are a godsend for allergy sufferers, vegetarians and fasting people, and they turn out very tasty. And to prevent the pancakes from falling apart during frying, there is one secret: you need to grate half the potatoes on a fine grater, the rest on a coarse grater. And you will need a little more oil than when frying potato pancakes without eggs.

Ingredients: 5 medium potatoes, salt, pepper, 1 tablespoon. flour, 1 tsp. starch, vegetable oil, a pinch of soda.

Cooking method

Peel the potato tubers and grate them, as mentioned earlier, in half - on a fine and coarse grater. Squeeze. Add flour, starch, add the remaining ingredients and mix. Heat the oil and spread the mixture with wet hands or a tablespoon. Fry on both sides until a crust forms. You can serve with mayonnaise, sour cream, ketchup. Or make homemade tomato sauce: fry onion half rings, add pieces of fresh peeled tomatoes and salt. After simmering for two to three minutes, add a little flour and cook until thickened. The sauce is ready.

Recipe 3: Potato pancakes with mushrooms

Potatoes, and even with mushrooms. It is fantastic! If you are tired of regular potato pancakes, you can make pancakes with mushrooms - your family will be delighted with such deliciousness. Mushrooms should be finely chopped, fried with onions until the liquid evaporates, and cool. They are then added to the dough and fried like regular potato pancakes. Serve with sour cream. If suddenly the dough spreads in the pan and merges into one pancake, add another egg.

Ingredients: 4 large potato tubers (700-800g), 300g champignons, 1 large onion, 2 table. lie flour, salt, 1 egg, pepper, vegetable oil.

Cooking method

Finely chop the mushrooms and onion. Fry the onion in oil first, then add the mushrooms. Keep in the pan for about fifteen minutes until the water evaporates.

While the mushrooms are cooling, peel and grate the potatoes, add the egg, salt and pepper. Add cooled mushrooms with onions, flour, mix well.

Heat the oil and fry the pancakes on both sides.

Recipe 4: Potato pancakes with cheese

Another option to diversify the taste of classic potato pancakes. The result is delicious potato-cheese fried flatbreads, somewhat similar in taste to cheese chips.

Ingredients: 5 potatoes, 5 tablespoons. flour, 1 onion, 200g cheese, 2 eggs, salt, vegetable oil.

Cooking method

Grate cheese, onion and peeled raw potatoes coarsely or finely. Add eggs, salt, add flour, mix well.

Fry on both sides in hot oil.

— To get rid of excess fat in which the potato pancakes were fried, after frying, you need to blot them with a paper towel.

— If the finished potato pancakes have cooled down, they can be reheated in the microwave or oven, and they will become hot and appetizing again.

— Finely grated onion added to the dough will not only improve the taste of potato pancakes, but will also prevent the potatoes from darkening.

— To ensure that the potato pancakes do not burn and have a beautiful crust, it is necessary that the oil covers the bottom of the pan by about three millimeters.

— To make the potato pancakes roast better, you can cover the top of the pan with a lid.

There is nothing easier than frying hearty and delicious potato pancakes! By supplementing this dish with sour cream, herbs or light vegetable salads, we will get a delicious, complete lunch, prepared quickly and without much effort.

We offer a standard recipe for potato pancakes, which you can always supplement if you wish, for example, by adding herbs, mushrooms, meat or fresh vegetables to the potato mixture. And if you like the recipe, we recommend trying a similar dish -.

Ingredients:

• potatoes - 700 g (about 5-6 medium-sized tubers);
• onion - 1 large head;
• flour - 2 tbsp. spoons;
• egg - 1 pc.;
• salt, pepper - to taste;
• vegetable oil - about 100-120 ml.

1. Wash the potatoes and cut off a thin layer of peel. Grate the peeled tubers with fine shavings (you can use a grater or a special food processor). Place the resulting mass in a deep bowl and drain the separated liquid.
   
2. Peel the onion, grate it finely or grind it as much as possible in a blender bowl, and then send it to the potatoes. It is not recommended to exclude onions from the recipe, as they not only make the potato pancakes more juicy and tasty, but also prevent the potato mass from quickly darkening.
   
3. Next, beat in a raw egg, add salt and finely ground pepper to taste. Add flour to the potato-onion mixture - 2 tbsp. a spoon will be enough. If the potatoes are starchy enough, you can do without flour altogether.
   
4. Stir the mixture, combining the components into a homogeneous “puree”.
   
5. Heat a frying pan with a small portion of oil (about 3-4 tablespoons). Place the potato mixture in patties on a hot surface. Fry over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes. As soon as the bottom is browned, turn the cakes over and again wait for the golden color to appear for a couple of minutes.
   
6. If you have formed quite fluffy potato pancakes, it is advisable to simmer them over low heat so that they do not remain damp inside. To do this, cover the pan with a lid, reduce the heat and wait 3-4 minutes.
   
7. We form and fry the next batch of flatbreads in the same way, adding oil to the surface of the pan if necessary. Serve potato pancakes hot, accompanied by sour cream, herbs, and vegetables.
   

Bon appetit!