Belarus's beloved potato pancakes — crispy-edged, golden latke-style fritters served with smetana (soured cream) or mushroom sauce.
Draniki are Belarus's national dish and one of the world's great potato preparations. Raw potatoes are grated and mixed with onion, egg, and just enough flour to bind them, then fried in oil until the edges are impossibly crispy and lacey while the centre remains tender and potato-dense. They are virtually identical to Jewish latkes and similar across Eastern Europe, but Belarus has elevated them to national treasure status. Belarusians eat draniki at any meal and in any context — with soured cream (smetana) for a classic preparation, with a thick mushroom and onion sauce (machanka) for a festive version, or topped with meat stew. The key to perfect draniki is squeezing as much liquid from the grated potato as possible, then frying in hot oil without disturbing them until a proper crust forms.
Serves 4
Coarsely grate potatoes and onion using the large holes of a box grater, or use a food processor. Transfer to a clean kitchen cloth.
Gather the cloth and squeeze as hard as possible to remove as much liquid as you can. This step is critical — wet potato mixture will steam in the pan instead of crisping.
Pour off liquid from the bowl but save any white starch that settles at the bottom — add this back to the mixture for binding.
Beat eggs, flour, salt, and pepper together. Mix into the squeezed potato and onion mixture. The batter should be quite dry and barely hold together.
Heat 1 cm of oil in a heavy pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Drop heaped tablespoons of batter in and flatten gently. Do not crowd. Cook undisturbed for 3–4 minutes until edges are deeply golden. Flip and cook a further 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
Draniki must be served the moment they come out of the pan. Serve with smetana (soured cream) and, if you like, chopped fresh dill.
Squeezing the potato dry is the single most important step — do it twice if needed.
Don't move the draniki once in the pan — leave them to form a proper crust before flipping.
Use floury/starchy potatoes (like Maris Piper or Russet) not waxy varieties.
Add grated courgette or beetroot for a variation.
Serve with mushroom and onion machanka sauce for the festive version.
Top with smoked salmon and soured cream for an elegant starter.
Best eaten immediately. Leftovers can be reheated in a hot oven at 200°C for 8 minutes, but they will never be as crispy as fresh.
Draniki have been eaten in Belarus for centuries and are so central to Belarusian identity that the country is sometimes humorously called 'Бульбяны край' (Land of Potatoes). Potatoes arrived in Eastern Europe in the 18th century and were adopted with such enthusiasm in Belarus that they became the foundation of the national cuisine. Draniki appear in virtually every Belarusian cookbook and restaurant menu.
Almost always due to insufficient squeezing of the potato. The mixture needs to be as dry as possible. Also, ensure the oil is properly hot before adding the batter, and don't overcrowd the pan.
They are vastly better eaten immediately. If you must prepare ahead, keep them warm on a rack in a 100°C oven — never stack or cover them or they will steam and lose their crispiness.
Per serving · 4 servings total
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