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Russian Potato Pancakes Recipe for Draniki

This Russian potato pancakes recipe for draniki in Russian or deruny in Ukrainian makes a delicious potato pancake that is crispy on the outside and soft within. The recipe is versatile: finely grate the potato and onion for a light pancake, or grate larger sized pieces for a crunchier pancake. Once ready, serve and eat immediately – before they get soft – with sour cream and fresh dill, spring onions/scallions and/or chives.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Breakfast, snack, appetizer, side dish
Cuisine: Russian, Ukrainian
Servings: 24 Pieces
Calories: 35kcal
Author: Lara Dunston

Ingredients

  • 550 g potatoes
  • 100 g white onion
  • 1 egg
  • 200 g all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • Cooking oil
  • Sour cream

Instructions

  • Peel the potatoes and onion, then grate them. For a rough crunchier pancake exterior, go for larger-sized grated potato and onion pieces, but for a lighter finer pancake, opt for smaller grated pieces. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
  • Crack an egg into a separate dish, whisk until combined, then add it to the bowl, along with the salt and pepper, and combine the ingredients.
  • Gradually add the flour to the mixing bowl, and combine the ingredients well. The batter should be thick, chunky and wet but not runny. Add a little more flour if necessary, then let the batter rest for 15 minutes.
  • While the batter is resting, finely chop your fresh dill, spring onions/scallions and/or chives, pour some sour cream or crème fraiche into a dish, and lay some paper towels onto a wire rack to drain the pancakes after their fried, as you’ll need to serve the pancakes immediately once they’re done.
  • Heat a medium-sized fry pan or skillet to medium-high heat and add enough cooking oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Drop a little mixture in the pan; if it sizzles it’s ready.
  • Turn down to medium heat then drop a tablespoon of batter into the pan, using the spoon to quickly flatten it and shape it into a circle before it sets and the edges starts to brown.
  • Repeat until you’ve filled the pan. You should be able to do 4 or 5 in one batch. By the time you finish shaping the fourth or fifth pancake, the first one should be ready to turn over. Each batch should take around 5 minutes to cook.
  • Using a turner or spatula, flip the first pancake over. If it’s not brown yet, then leave the others for another minute or so, then turn one over. If it’s nice and brown and crispy, then turn the others over one by one, and flip the first one over again so it’s brown and crispy on both sides.
  • Transfer the pancakes to the wire rack to soak up any excess oil, then repeat until you’ve used up all the batter.
  • Serve immediately while still crispy with extra salt and pepper, fresh dill, spring onions/scallions and/or chives, and sour cream. If you don’t serve the pancakes straight away they will start to soften.

Nutrition

Calories: 35kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 197mg | Potassium: 19mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 10IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg