Polish potato pancakes are somewhat similar to Jewish latkes, but use flour for a binder rather than matzo meal. Polish pancakes have a finer texture and are savory versus sweet/sour. While traditionally a meatless Friday or Lenten food, today they are enjoyed as an appetizer, a side dish, or a meal in itself. Placki Ziemniaczane are usually topped with sour cream and the potential variations are endless, such as adding cheese or bacon strips. The trick to good potato pancakes is completely squeezing the moisture out of the raw potato and onion, so you will need a good quality cheese cloth.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Potatoes – raw and finely grated
- 1 Onion – raw and finely grated
- 1-2 Eggs
- 0.25 cups Flour
- 1.5 tsp Salt
- 0.5 tsp ground Pepper
- Olive oil – for frying, or Avocado oil but more expensive, or bacon grease if available
- Bacon – precooked into strips (optional)
- Sour cream – for serving
Process
- Mise en Place – measure and prepare your ingredients prior to starting.
- Peel, then finely grate potatoes. Put in cheese cloth and squeeze out juice.
- Retain the starchy water for possible use later
- Peel and finely grate the onion. Put in cheese cloth and squeeze out juice.
- Mix potato and onion until well combined.
- Heat skillet on Med and add oil to cover bottom.
- Dollop batter into 0.5 inch think pancakes 3-4 inches in diameter making ~4 at a time.
- Don’t let the edges get thinned or they will burn while the center remains raw.
- Fry for ~3 min per side or until crispy brown.
- Drain on paper towels.
- Serve with a dollop of sour cream. Salt and pepper to taste.
Note: You can keep the cooked pancakes in the oven at low temperature while all the batter is cooked.
Comments are closed