Discover my much-loved family recipe for Polish Potato Pancakes (Placki Ziemniaczane). This is among my favourite potato dishes, ideal when paired with a savoury sauce or enjoyed by itself.
My love for potato pancakes was inherited from my grandfather. Whenever I visited his farm, he would prepare these large pancakes using potatoes he’d grown himself. We would binge on them together, savouring every bite. Those moments really stuck with me, and I’ve loved them ever since. I was hooked. Potato cooking runs right through the cuisine, and my guide to Polish food shows where.
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Where Potato Pancakes Come From
Potato pancakes belong to the whole of Central and Eastern Europe, and Poland’s placki ziemniaczane are close cousins of Jewish latkes, a reminder of how tightly those food cultures were once woven together. The potato only reached Europe from the Americas a few centuries ago, and it did not take long to become the staple it still is.
Varieties of Potato Pancakes across the Europe
Across Europe, various regions have their own takes on the potato pancake:
- Germany: People commonly refer to these pancakes as “Reibekuchen” or “Kartoffelpuffer”. Typically paired with apple sauce, these delectable treats shine at local fairs and Christmas markets.
- Czech Republic & Slovakia: Here, they’re called “bramborák” and are typically larger in size, sometimes incorporating marjoram for added flavour.
- Ukraine: The “deruny” are Ukraine’s answer to potato pancakes and can sometimes include fillings or toppings like meat or mushrooms.
- Belarus: The “draniki” is similar to the Ukrainian version and is a well-loved national dish.
- Switzerland: The Swiss “rösti” stands out a bit; it leans more towards a potato fritter. Moreover, people often link it with the German-speaking regions of Switzerland.
- Ireland: The “boxty” is a type of potato pancake that sometimes mixes raw and cooked potatoes.
- United Kingdom: Hash browns hold a much-loved spot on the breakfast table. Made primarily from grated potatoes, chefs fry them until they achieve a crispy texture. Particularly in England, you’ll often find these hash browns shaped into triangular or rectangular patties. Moreover, they’ve become an integral part of the iconic “Full English Breakfast.”While hash browns are similar in concept to potato pancakes, they are distinct in that they usually don’t have other flavourings like onions or garlic, which are typical for many European potato pancake recipes. Hash browns focus on the crispy texture of the potatoes, often seasoned simply with just salt and pepper.
Best Potatoes for Potato Pancakes
When making potato pancakes, the choice of potato is crucial. The type of potato you select can influence the texture, flavour, and overall success of the dish. Choose old potatoes, high in starch (floury potatoes) Here’s a guide to the best potatoes for potato pancakes:
- Russet Potatoes (Idaho potatoes) - These are starchy potatoes with a rough brown skin and pale, mealy flesh. Their high starch content helps bind the pancakes together without the need for too much flour or another binding agent. Additionally, they yield a crispy exterior when fried.
- Maris Piper - the one to reach for in a British supermarket, and the closest thing here to a Russet. Floury, high in starch, and it fries to a genuinely crisp edge. King Edward and Rooster do the same job.
- What to avoid - anything sold as salad or new potatoes, and Charlotte in particular. Waxy potatoes hold their shape and their water, which is the opposite of what you want: the batter stays loose and the pancakes fry pale and bendy.
- Yukon Gold Potatoes - They are all-purpose potatoes with a balanced starch-to-water ratio. They have a buttery colour and a slightly waxy texture. Yukon Gold potatoes offer a creamier texture than Russets, giving the pancakes a slightly denser yet still delicious consistency.
How to Make Placki Ziemniaczane, Step by Step
The recipe card below has the quantities. This is the same method with the reasons attached, which is most of the difference between placki that crisp and placki that sag.
- Grate the potatoes, onion and garlic. Coarse holes on the grater for the potatoes, and the onion and garlic can go through a food processor. A market trick worth knowing: grate half the potatoes coarsely and half finely. The fine half binds, the coarse half gives you something to bite, and the mix soaks up less fat than either on its own. Work quickly, because grated potato starts to grey within minutes.
- Squeeze it dry, then give the starch back. Into a fine sieve or a square of muslin, and wring out as much liquid as you can manage. Then stand that liquid for a minute: a chalky white layer settles at the bottom of the bowl. Pour the water off, scrape the starch back into the potato and you have free binding that works better than another spoon of flour. This is the step that decides whether you get crisp pancakes or pale floppy ones, so do not be gentle with it.
- Mix in the egg, flour and seasoning. Egg, flour, salt and plenty of black pepper, mixed until it is properly combined. Judge the batter by moisture rather than by looks: damp all through, with no water pooling in the bowl. If it is loose, a spoonful of potato starch tightens it without the pasty taste that more flour brings. A good pinch of dried marjoram is the traditional Polish seasoning here if you have it, though it is not in the recipe below and the pancakes are very good without.
- Fry them in enough oil, over a medium heat. The oil needs to cover the whole base of the pan. This is shallow frying, not dry frying, and being mean with the oil is the commonest reason placki come out soft. Two spoonfuls per pancake, flattened out, and two to three minutes a side. If they are colouring faster than that the pan is too hot and the middle will still be raw when the outside looks done, so turn it down rather than lifting them out early. A spoon of lard in with the oil is how these were fried for generations, and it does taste rounder.
- Drain them flat. Kitchen paper, in a single layer, never in a stack. Pile them up while they are hot and the trapped steam softens the crust you have just spent all that effort building.
- Serve them straight from the pan. Placki wait for nobody. Sour cream is the standard, but see the serving section above for the sweet and savoury camps, which Poles feel strongly about.
Recipe Card for Polish Potato Pancakes
Polish Potato Pancakes (Placki Ziemniaczane)
My family recipe for Polish Potato Pancakes. This is among my favourite potato dishes, perfect with your favourite sauce.
Equipment I Use
Ingredients
Instructions
Grate the peeled potatoes using the large holes of a grater. For the onion and garlic, you can mince them using a food processor. Then, add them to the grated potatoes.
Place the grated potato, onion, and garlic mixture into a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth, and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. This step ensures the pancakes become crispier. (keep the liquid, read the recipe notes)
Transfer the strained mixture to a large bowl. Add the egg, flour, salt, and pepper. Mix well until everything is thoroughly combined.
In a large frying pan, heat half of the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, take a two spoonful of the potato mixture, flatten it into a pancake shape in the hot oil. Fry each side until golden brown and crispy, roughly 2-3 minutes per side (You may need to add more oil later).
After frying, place the pancakes on a plate lined with paper towels to drain any excess oil.
Serve the potato pancakes while hot. They pair wonderfully with sour cream or your favourite sauce.
Chef’s notes
- Best Potatoes for Placki: Starchy potatoes, like Maris Piper, King Edward or Rooster (Russet or Yukon Gold in the US), are ideal for this recipe as they yield a crispier pancake.
- Batter Consistency: Ensure the consistency of the batter is thick enough to hold together. If it seems too wet, you can add a bit more flour. Conversely, if it feels too dry, consider adding another egg.
- Potato Starch: After squeezing the water from the grated potatoes, don’t discard the liquid immediately. Let it settle for a moment. At the bottom of the bowl, you’ll notice some potato starch sediment. This is pure potato starch, and you can carefully pour off the water and then add this starch back into your potato mixture. It can enhance the texture of the pancakes and make them more cohesive.
- Pancake Size: The size of your potato pancakes can vary based on how you intend to serve them. You can opt for smaller or larger sizes. My grandfather, for instance, used to make them as large as the entire pan! 🙂
Nutrition per serving
What to Serve With Potato Pancakes
🍽 Polish potato pancakes are lovely savoury or sweet - top them with soured cream and chives, dust with sugar, or serve them Hungarian-style under a ladle of goulash. A crisp surówka (celeriac salad) rounds out the plate.
Storing and Reheating Potato Pancakes
Placki are at their best within about a minute of leaving the pan, and no amount of technique changes that. They do reheat respectably though, as long as you use dry heat.
- Cooked pancakes keep two days in the fridge, layered with kitchen paper.
- To reheat, use a hot dry frying pan or a 200C oven with the pancakes on a rack for five to eight minutes. The crust comes back properly.
- Avoid the microwave. It heats them through but leaves them limp.
- They freeze well cooked. Layer them with paper, bag them, and reheat straight from frozen in the oven.
FAQ for Polish Potato Pancakes Recipe
Pancakes are raw inside what should I do?
- When spreading them on the pan, aim for a flatter shape. If necessary, you can finish cooking them in the air fryer or oven.
Can I store premade batter in the fridge?
- I wouldn’t advise doing so. The batter is likely to turn black because of the oxidation of the potatoes.
Do Poles eat placki sweet or savoury?
Both, and people are surprisingly firm about which one is correct. The savoury camp has them with soured cream, or under a mushroom sauce, or as placek po wegiersku with goulash ladled over the top. The sweet camp eats them with sugar, or apple sauce, or soured cream and sugar together. Neither is wrong and most Polish households do both depending on the meal. The batter itself carries no sugar, so the decision is entirely one of what goes on top.
Why did my potato batter turn grey?
Oxidation, and it is completely normal. Grated raw potato starts to discolour as soon as it meets the air, and the finer you grate it the faster it happens. It is harmless and frying hides it, but the fix is simply speed: grate, mix and get them into the pan without a pause. The onion in the batter slows the process a little. It is worth knowing why, because it points at the fix. An intact potato keeps the phenolic compounds and the enzymes that react with them in separate compartments. Grating tears those compartments open, the two meet oxygen, and the products bond into the dull grey you are looking at. Those enzymes barely work in acid, so a squeeze of lemon through the grated potato slows it right down, and so does keeping everything cold. Neither matters much if you fry straight away, which is the real answer.
Can I make potato pancakes gluten-free?
Easily. Swap the plain flour for potato starch, spoon for spoon. It binds at least as well, and on low-starch potatoes it binds better. Nothing else in the recipe needs changing.
How do I reheat potato pancakes and keep them crispy?
Dry heat. A hot frying pan with no extra oil, or a 200C oven with the pancakes sitting on a rack so air moves underneath, for five to eight minutes. Both restore the crust. A microwave will warm them through but you will lose the crispness completely.
What is placek po węgiersku?
Potato pancake, Hungarian style, and it is the reason many Poles make a double batch. You lay a large placek on the plate and spoon a rich meaty goulash over the top, then fold or eat it open with a spoon. It turns a side dish into a proper dinner, and it is worth making with leftover Hungarian goulash.
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- Authentic Polish Braised Cabbage - soft braised cabbage, a side that goes with almost anything
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A Few Words from the Chef
I hope you relished trying out my easy recipe for Polish Potato Pancakes. I’m eager to hear your thoughts on the recipe. Did it meet your expectations? And if you made any personal modifications or added a unique twist, I’d love to know about them. Sharing experiences and variations only enriches our culinary journey!
If you enjoyed this dish, I invite you to explore more of my Japanese Potato Curry and Halloumi Souvlaki. I’ve curated a diverse collection of flavoursome and healthful recipes that I believe will delight your palate. Let’s continue this delectable journey together!
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