Polish Potato Pancakes
Potato pancakes are shallow-fried pancakes of grated or ground potato, flour and egg, often flavored with grated onion or garlic and seasoned with salt and pepper. Potato pancakes may be topped with a variety of condiments, such as sour cream or a horseradish sauce, or they may be served all by them self.
Polish Potato Pancakes (Placki Ziemniaczane)
Potato pancakes are associated with cuisines of many European and Middle Eastern century-old traditions including Austrian (as Kartoffelpuffer or “Erdäpfelpuffer”), Belarusian (as draniki), Czech (as bramborák or cmunda), German (as Kartoffelpuffer or Reibekuchen), Hungarian (as tócsni and other names), Lithuanian (as bulviniai blynai), Russian (as draniki, драники), Slovak (as zemiakové placky,haruľa or nálečníky), Ukrainian (as deruny).
A Polish Meal
Placki ziemniaczane was a food staple at the 17th-century Polish monasteries according to written recipe from Stoczek Warmiński. In the 19th century, especially in times of economic difficulty duringthe foreign partitions, potato pancakes often replaced missing bread among the peasants. The lower-quality crops given to field laborers were sometimes turned by them quickly into pancakes to improve taste and prolong freshness. Also, their popularity is closely associated with the historic presence of one of the largest Jewish communities in the world flourishing in Poland.
Making Polish Potato Pancake collage
Polish Style Potato Pancakes (Placky Ziemniaczane)
- 6 large potatoes (grated)
- 1 large onion (grated)
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- Salt and pepper for flavor
- 2 egg (lightly whipped)
- Vegetable shortening or vegetable cooking oil
- Grate 1 large onion before the potatoes and place in a large mixing bowl
- Peel, rinse and grate the potatoes and place in the large mixing bowl with the onions
- Add flour, 2eggs (lightly whipped), salt and pepper
- Blend well all the ingredients
- In a large, heavy frying pan or skillet, over medium-high heat, add enough shortening or vegetable oil to come to a depth of about 1/4 inch.
- Heat oil until hot, but not to where the oil starts smoking
- Drop about 3 tbsp amount of the potatoes and spread out to about 3" in diameter
- Add more to make additional pancakes but timing so they all don't finish cooking close to one another
- Fry until brown on the bottom about 3 to 5 minutes, reducing the heat to medium, if needed, so it still cooks to the center but not too hot that it burns before the inside gets cooked.
- Don't turn over until the bottom is golden to light brown.
- Turn the pancake and fry the other side 3 to 5 minutes or until golden brown and crisp.
- Drain on paper towels.
- Keep adding to make more pancakes until you are out of mixture.
- Potato pancakes may be topped with a variety of condiments, such as sour cream or a horseradish sauce, or just served by themself.
Czech potato pancakes (bramborák)
Placky ziemniaczane is also a very popular dish in Czech Republic and Slovakia (where it’s called zemiakove placky). Czech potato pancake is called bramborák and it is made of grated potatoes with egg, breadcrumbs or flour and seasoning (salt, pepper, and garlic) and is served as it is. Some regional versions blend in dough, sauerkraut, and/or sliced smoked meat.
(Adopted from an article on Wikipedia where you can get more information on the history of potato pancakes all over Europe as submitted by their members)
Does anyone remember having Christmas holy supper
I know this was posted a few days ago but I could not get on line.. I have made the potato pncakes with potato and Zucchini and they were great also. I hope I spelled that correct? Sorry If I didn`t? Now waiting for the donut recipe–sharing lol.
That sounds good i’ll try it next time ty
Yum, i think you need to send them to Somerset for a taste test. I’ll supply the sour cream and applesauce.
THEY ROCK~! If your cutting corners and want to do it quick… Manishievitz is a good brand… Just add eggs and water I believe or milk.
John Lipovsky, I wish we were neighbors~
me too… we would be constantly cooking up a storm and your hubby would have something new every day of the week. LOL
I agree Noreen, these with some sour cream and/or apple sauce. mmmmmmmmm
These were a staple around my house growing up. I love to make them.
My fave meal that Grandma -Zanko made on Frodays on Lent Platzki!
NICE… I love these~ with some sour cream and apple sauce~
I just made some for dinner
Delicious
One of my favorites to make topped with sour cream with some applesauce on the side I think I will make some tonight
Those look so good!
Might also make pączki (Polish donuts)… and post the final recipe for this soon.
I want this recipe
Pat, my previous batches on other days didn’t work out to my critical expectations but if my next try (or tries) does I will surely publish my results and the recipe used.
I make the pancakes ahead of time and then cover with foil. Just before dinner I put them in the oven (uncovered) to heat up then serve with dinner when ready.
OK… settled.. making this with the Kotlet schabowy… The recipe is the recipe I have used for years… Thanks mom (Anne Daniewicz Lipovsky Yourstone) for teaching me how to make these when I was little.
just like my mom made she was slaivic i was born and raised in perth amboy so many memories
I need to edit the info… LOL
hehehehehe
I would never suggest that !!! ( with alot of sarcasm) lmao
lol
Are you suggesting I am a klepto cook? :-/
gee i wonder how they disappeared of course you had to make sure they were good tasting lol
I always ate these plain but I know others used sour cream. I usually had to always make at least a 1/3 more than planned… I’m not sure how it happened but they would disappear as I was cooking. O:-)
Another memory. Thanks, John.
Make enough ’cause I’m coming over… LOL
Thanks John, I’m going to make these tomorrow! Yum!
we always had them with sour cream or applesauce too….
I love potato pancakes. As a kid, I always loved them with applesauce. Sour cream is also great on them, but applesauce has got to be my favorite “dressing” for them.
Hi Joan Sethman-Gervis…I lived in North Edison for many years~~
love them
OH~~~ these I have to make~~ Thanks John~~ Love your recipes~~!
I used to make these a lot for my kids… These would be awesome as a mini version for Super Bowl Sunday snacking with a sour cream based dip.
Just like my Mom made I really miss them I gotta try the recipe!
Of course, the cook has to sample them, to make sure they are good. :). I just finished making a batch of chruschiki to take to my granddaughter’s for tonights celebration. It’s a fish and seafood meal and so delicious.
Eileen, I know what you mean… I couldn’t make them fast enough either even with 2 pans going. Of course I wasn’t any help either. The cook always has to try their own food,,, you know… just to be sure! LOL
Brenda, when I come to NJ next time I’ll have to go visit you and your husband and we’ll cook up a storm! Hope you have a big enough area to prepare? 🙂
Noreen… Even though they don’t come out with the long strands as hand grating a food processor can save you a lot of that hassle.
Hey John make some for me ship them up here ..Haven’t had a good pompano are since my mother died 1986….
When my children were still at home, I couldn’t make them fast enough. I used two, sometimes three fry pans going. As soon as they were in the plate they disappeared. DELICIOUS! !
oh the good old days with the hand grater, cuts, scrapes, blood and I think this extra flavoring made them special. Checked the recipe, just like mom and Babci made, oh yum….
love them but hate grating them.
That’s the real deal nice pic
The recipe for the pancakes along with a short history about the potato pancakes are found on the website. With most of the recipes I post there, I just don’t share the recipe alone but I like to give you a little history of how a food is part of that country in the Slavic region. It’s one thing knowing it’s Polish, Hungarian, German (etc), but where and when the food got introduced. And yes, pictures if I have them.
A complete Polish dinner plate!
Sorry Rita but tis the season to eat well… fa la la la la, la la la la
Oh, geez, John!! Babalki, and now latkas! You’re killin’ me!! 🙂