Draniki - Potato Pancakes feat. Ethno - Trio Troitsa

Belarus cuisine has a big variety of dishes made of potatoes. They might seem basic and simple, as this one, but it is  absolutely delicious.

For these pancakes you will need just 2 ingredients: potatos and onions. Then there is oil for frying, salt and pepper.  No flour, no eggs! You just have to choose potatoes which contain a lot of starch. There is an easy test to check if the potato has a big amount of starch: сut the potatoes in half and rub the halves together. Then grab only one half and see: if the second one holds, as if glued, then there is a lot of starch in it.

Ethno-Trio Troitsa do an amazing ethnographic survey of Belarus folk music, arranging old traditional songs in their own distinctive contemporary way. The number of musical instruments they play is really impressive. All in all, there are more than 50 instruments. Find out more about Ethno-Trio Troitsa

Ingredients

This recipe makes about 15-20 pancakes depending on the size.

Potato – 1 kg (2.2 lbs)
Onions – 2
Sunflower oil for frying
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Peel the potatoes and grate them on the finest grater setting you have.

2. Grate onions and add them to potatoes.

3. Place the mixture in a mesh strainer over a bowl and press with a spoon, to remove excess liquid.

4. Heat the oil in the pan on medium high heat. There should be enough oil to cover a pancake till the middle.

5. Form a pancake with a large spoon and fry them on both sides until they are golden brown and crispy.

Traditionally they are served with a sour cream, but you can get creative and try some other sauce.

Enjoy!