Draniki – Russian Potato Pancakes

Draniki – Russian Potato Pancakes 13Every time I make these Russian-style potato pancakes, they’re always gone before I even finished cooking. As soon as I fry up a batch and place them on a paper towel to drain the excess oil, my husband and kids are already lining up to get their share. So in order for me to write this post with a photo of what I cooked, I had to make two batches. This way there’s enough for everybody and some on a plate to photograph.

Draniki (as it is called in Russian) is very easy to make actually. The only challenging part is grating the potatoes manually which I found to be very tedious in the beginning. That is until I realize I can use my blender to do the job faster and mess-free. The blender I’m using is a Hamilton Beach Power Elite Multi-Function Blender which you can find here. It has a “grate” button which comes handy on task like grating potatoes. I haven’t tried any other blenders so far but I think it will work with other models just as well.

I make draniki two ways. The first one is simply using potatoes, eggs, salt, and pepper. With the second method, I added an onion which required an addition of flour to make the batter thicker and easier to fry. For this post, I will show you the latter. This makes a good side dish.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Yields: 8-10 pieces

Ingredients:Draniki – Russian Potato Pancakes 01
4 medium potatoes (about 1 ½ pounds to 1 ¾ pounds)
1 small onion
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 large egg
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 cups vegetable oil for frying (approximate)

Tools You’ll Need:
Knife
Cutting board
Blender
Mixing Bowl
Spatula
Non-stick skillet
Paper towels
Plate

Procedure:
1. Peel onion and cut into quarters. For each quarter slice into four and place into the blender.

Draniki – Russian Potato Pancakes 02Draniki – Russian Potato Pancakes 03

2. Peel potatoes and cut into small cubes.

Draniki – Russian Potato Pancakes 04
3. Place about half a cup of the potatoes into the blender with the onions. Cover and blend. As soon as it starts to liquefy, add the rest of the potatoes in 1 cup increments until you finish with the rest.

Draniki – Russian Potato Pancakes 05

Draniki – Russian Potato Pancakes 06
4. Transfer grated mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add the egg, seasonings, and flour. Stir until thoroughly mixed.

Draniki – Russian Potato Pancakes 07 Draniki – Russian Potato Pancakes 08
5. Heat skillet on the stove on medium high. Add about 3 tablespoons vegetable oil and wait till it gets very hot. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of the batter and drop onto skillet. Flatten with a spatula or turner. Repeat until you have about 3-4 pancakes frying. Do not overcrowd or they’ll stick to each other.

Draniki – Russian Potato Pancakes 09
6. Once the edges turn brown, flip and fry the other side. Depending on your preference, you can cook your draniki longer to make them browner by flipping on each side repeatedly until you get the desired doneness.

Draniki – Russian Potato Pancakes 10
7. Drain on paper towels to absorb excess oil. Fry another batch, adding more oil into the pan as needed.

Draniki – Russian Potato Pancakes 11
8. Serve warm with sour cream or ketchup.

Draniki – Russian Potato Pancakes 12