Placki Ziemniaczane

Placki Ziemniaczane (Polish Potato Pancakes)

A beloved Polish home classic: crisp, lacy potato pancakes made from grated raw potatoes and onion, bound with egg and flour, and fried golden. Traditionally served with sour cream, though a sprinkle of sugar is equally traditional.

Prep

15 min

Cook

25 min

Total

40 min

Serves

4 (makes about 12 pancakes)

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •750 g (1 lb 10 oz) starchy potatoes, russet or other high-starch variety; do not peel if you want extra crispness
• •1 medium onion, yellow
• •1 large egg
• •30 g (¼ cup) all-purpose flour
• •1 tsp fine salt, plus more to taste
• •ground black pepper, ½
• •60 ml (¼ cup) rapeseed or sunflower oil, for frying, schmalz/clarified pork fat is most traditional; use it if available
• •200 g (¾ cup) sour cream (18%), for serving

Steps

1. 1 Peel (or scrub) the potatoes and the onion. Working quickly to minimize discoloration, grate the potatoes on the large holes of a box grater, then grate the onion directly into the same bowl. Alternatively, pulse both in a food processor fitted with the grating disc.
2. 2 Transfer the grated mixture into a clean kitchen towel and squeeze firmly over the sink to extract as much liquid as possible. Reserve the liquid in a bowl, let it stand 1 minute, then pour off the watery liquid on top and scrape the white potato starch that has settled at the bottom. Mix this starch back into the grated potato - it helps the pancakes bind and crisp.
3. 3 In a large bowl, whisk the egg with the salt and pepper. Stir in the flour, then fold in the grated potato-onion mixture and the recovered starch until evenly combined. The batter should be loose but able to hold its shape when spooned; add 1–2 more teaspoons of flour if very wet.
4. 4 Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil (or a knob of schmalz) in a 24 cm / 9-inch non-stick or cast-iron skillet over medium heat until shimmering, about 2 minutes. The oil is ready when a small drop of batter sizzles immediately.
5. 5 Spoon roughly ¼ cup / 60 ml of batter per pancake into the pan and gently spread with the back of the spoon to form a thin round about 10 cm / 4 inches across. Cook 2–3 pancakes at a time without crowding.
6. 6 Fry 3–4 minutes per side, pressing gently with a spatula, until deeply golden brown and crisp at the edges. Adjust heat as needed - too hot and they burn before cooking through; too cool and they absorb oil and turn greasy.
7. 7 Transfer finished pancakes to a paper-towel-lined tray (or a rack set over a tray to keep the bottoms crisp) and keep warm in a low oven while you cook the rest, adding more oil to the pan between batches.
8. 8 Serve immediately, topped with a generous spoonful of sour cream and a pinch of salt. Sugar is the other classic topping - sprinkle lightly if you prefer the sweet route. Any leftover pancakes reheat well in a dry skillet over medium heat.