Classic Polish potato pancake Placki Ziemniaczane are as easy to make as they are to eat. With its crispy outer layer and a gooey centre, this scrumptious dish can be eaten as a starter, as a side to a main dish or dessert, whit an endless variety of toppings.
The Poles love their potatoes, referred to in most of Poland as “Ziemniak,” or “Kartofel” closer to the German border, the potato is the key ingredient to some wonderfully tasty Polish dishes like this classic potato pancake well worth a try. Placki Ziemniaczane is great on its own, or you can serve them with a healthy dollop of smetana with a sprinkling of chopped chive. You can use them as a starter, or as a side to a main. You can also serve them as a dessert (omitting the garlic) with a sprinkling of sugar. This recipe makes 9 pancakes in total.
Placki Ziemniaczane Recipe
Cooking time (9 pancakes in total) – 15 minutes
Preparation time – 10 minutes.
For The Placki Ziemniaczane You Need:
3 starchy potatoes (approx.680 grams in total)
1 small egg
2 tablespoons of flour
1 small-sized yellow or white onion
1 clove of garlic, optional
1 teaspoon of salt
A pinch of freshly ground black pepper
High smoke point cooking oil – light or refined olive oil, corn, safflower or sunflower oil, all of which have neutral flavours.
How you make the Placki Ziemniaczane:
Peel the potatoes and onion and grate them finely.
Wrap the potatoes and onion in a tea towel and wring out as much moisture as you can.
Break the egg into a mixing bowl and beat well until combined.
If using garlic, finely grate it into the egg mixture.
Add the drained potato and onion to the egg mixture and combine.
Add the flour, salt and pepper to the mixture and combine well.
Pour oil into a frying pan to a depth of ¼”, and heat over medium to high heat.
Gently pour in 50 ml of the pancake mixture and gently spread out using the back of a spoon until it’s a uniform 8 to 10 millimetres thick.
Fry for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until a lovely golden brown.
Remove from the frying pan, onto a paper towel to dry and allow the excess oil to drain and serve them hot with a topping of your choosing.
They are better eaten hot, but if you have leftovers, you can wrap them in foil and put them in a lidded container in your fridge where they’ll keep for a day or two. You can also freeze them by wrapping them individually in cling film and foil and placing them into a lidded container. They keep in your freezer for up to two weeks. You can reheat precooked potato pancakes in a preheated oven (400 °F or 200 °C). Remove them from the fridge or freezer, unwrap them, allow them to come up to room temperature (or defrost), place them on a lined baking tray, and bake in the oven for around 5 minutes.
