Bramboráčky (Czech Potato Pancakes)

About This Recipe

Bramboráčky are the snack of Czech country fairs and pub kitchens: grated potatoes mixed with flour, egg, garlic and marjoram, fried hard in lard until the edges are dark and crispy. Eaten as a stand-alone snack with beer, or as a side to roast meats. The signature spicing — garlic, marjoram, caraway — is uniquely Czech.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 800 gstarchy potatoes(peeled)
• 1 smallonion(grated)
• 5 clovesgarlic(crushed)
• 1egg
• 60 gplain flour
• 1 tbspmarjoram(dried)
• 1 tspcaraway seeds(ground)
• 1 tspsalt
• 1/2 tspfreshly ground black pepper
• 100 mlvegetable oil(or lard, for frying)

Instructions

1. 1

   Grate potatoes

   Grate potatoes on the large holes of a box grater. Place in a clean tea towel and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

2. 2

   Mix

   Combine drained grated potatoes with grated onion, crushed garlic, egg, flour, marjoram, ground caraway, salt and pepper. Mix briefly — should be a thick batter.

3. 3

   Heat oil

   Heat 1 cm of oil in a large frying pan to medium-high.

4. 4

   Fry

   Drop large spoonfuls of batter into the oil and flatten with the back of a spatula to 1 cm thick. Don't crowd the pan.

5. 5

   Cook

   Fry 4 min per side until deeply golden brown and crispy at edges.

6. 6

   Drain

   Lift onto paper towel briefly.

7. 7

   Serve

   Serve hot, ideally straight from the pan. Eat with sour cream, pickled cucumber and a glass of cold Czech beer.

Variations

• •

  Stuff with smoked meat: place a slice of ham on a pancake mid-cook, top with another spoonful of batter, flip — creates filled bramboráčky

• •

  Sauerkraut version: stir 100g chopped sauerkraut into batter

• •

  Cheese version: add 100g grated Edam

Storage

Best fresh. Reheat in oven 180°C for 5 min — never microwave.

Frequently Asked Questions