Draniki: Raw Potato, Grated and Fried Until the Edges Crisp
Grate the potato coarsely, squeeze out the excess liquid, and fry until the outside is browned and the inside is cooked through. Everything else, from the onion and garlic to the sour cream served alongside, supports that contrast.
Draniki (дранікі) start with raw potato. The potato is grated into shreds and the extra liquid is squeezed out. It is then mixed with finely grated onion and garlic, an egg and a few spoonfuls of flour. Spoonfuls of this rough, moist batter go into a pan of hot oil and fry into small, flat pancakes. The edges turn golden and crisp, and the center stays soft. Coarse grating is what gives draniki their shaggy, uneven edges, and the recipe this article follows notes that coarse-grated potato comes out especially crispy.
The version here is a Belarusian home recipe by Daria Gorokh, published by JDC. Its author describes draniki as a dish every family takes pride in making its own way, so this is one household's draniki, not the single correct one. The recipe gives amounts for the main ingredients but leaves salt, pepper and oil to the cook, and it does not state servings or how many pancakes it makes. This article does not add those numbers. This version has not been kitchen-tested by Sekai Gohan, so use the frying time and the cues below as guides, and judge each pancake by its color and how well its center is cooked.
What Draniki Are: A Grated-Potato Dish Widely Known in Belarus
Belarusian cooking is closely tied to local ingredients, potatoes among them, and the country's cuisine includes several dishes made from grated potato. Draniki are among the best known of these. Similar grated-potato dishes appear across neighboring Slavic cuisines; in Ukraine, for example, a comparable dish is called deruny. The names belong to different countries, and recipes differ from household to household, so this article treats Belarusian draniki in their own right. It does not treat them as identical to every grated-potato pancake in the region.
How draniki are eaten varies too. They are commonly served with sour cream or with bacon. The home recipe used here suggests sour cream, sautéed mushrooms or onions, and herbs such as dill or parsley. Not every household serves them the same way, and the toppings sit beside the pancakes rather than going into the batter.
Published recipes show how wide the household range is. Another draniki recipe grates the potato finely, adds sour cream and a pinch of baking soda to the batter, rests the mixture briefly, and fries the pancakes covered. That is a different formula with a different method, so none of it is mixed into the recipe below. If you'd like to explore further, you can browse more dishes from Belarus.
Ingredients: One Home Recipe, Kept in Its Own Units
The amounts follow the source recipe and keep its own units: potatoes are given as about 2¼ lb (1 kg), and flour in tablespoons, so no gram conversion is added. Salt, pepper and oil have no amounts in the source and are listed as such. Servings and the number of pancakes are not stated; they depend on the size of your potatoes and how large you shape each pancake. Sour cream and dill are optional accompaniments for serving, not part of the batter.
Equipment
- A box grater (or graters) with both a coarse side and a fine side
- A sturdy bowl for the grated potato, plus a small bowl for the onion and garlic
- A mixing spoon
- A frying pan
- A spoon for shaping and a thin spatula for turning
- A clean food thermometer for checking the center
These are ordinary kitchen tools; none of them needs to be bought specially for draniki. A grater with both coarse and fine sides simply makes it easy to grate the potato and the aromatics differently.
Choosing Flour, Oil and Potatoes
Everything for the batter is available at an ordinary supermarket: potatoes, eggs, onion, garlic and flour. There is no special ingredient to track down.
- Potatoes: The source names no variety, and this article does not claim one is best. Potatoes differ in moisture and starch, and that can affect how the pancakes brown and hold together, so the squeezing in step 2 matters whichever kind you buy.
- Flour: The recipe uses wheat flour. Soft wheat flour in this version is an editorial choice, not a source requirement. Potato starch is not the same ingredient and is not treated here as a standard substitute; using it would make a different variation (see the FAQ).
- Oil: The source does not name an oil. Rapeseed (canola) oil is an editorial choice; any neutral cooking oil you normally fry with fits the same role.
- Pepper: Black pepper is an editorial choice; the source says only "pepper."
The batter contains wheat (flour) and egg. Sour cream served on the side contains milk. If you serve bacon or other store-bought accompaniments, check their labels.
Method: Six Steps from Grater to Plate
Get the ingredients and both graters out before you begin, so you can move from grating to frying without long pauses. The batter contains raw potato, raw egg and raw flour, so don't taste it raw. If you want to check the seasoning, fry a small piece all the way through and taste that.
Pale, Soggy, Falling Apart: Fixing Draniki in the Pan
These fixes come from general home-cooking practice; the source recipe does not cover troubleshooting.
| Condition | Likely cause | What to try |
|---|---|---|
| Pancakes won't brown and stay soggy | Batter too wet | Squeeze the remaining grated potato again before frying the next batch |
| Pancakes break when shaping or turning | Batter too wet, or turned too early | Wait until the underside is browned and the edges look set before turning |
| Hard to turn without tearing | Pan too crowded | Fry fewer pancakes at a time, with space between them |
| Brown outside, still raw inside | Heat too high, or pancakes too thick | Lower the heat, keep frying until the center is cooked through, and shape the next ones thinner |
| Flat flavor | Not enough salt or pepper | Fry a small test piece all the way through, taste it, and season the batter. Don't taste the batter raw |
Household Variations
Each of these changes something specific about the base recipe. Keep the batter itself as written unless the variation says otherwise.
- Finely grated potato: The source allows grating the potato finely instead of coarsely. The texture changes, and coarse grating is the version the source describes as especially crispy.
- Sour cream on the side: A common way to eat draniki, and one the source recipe suggests. It contains milk.
- Sautéed mushrooms: Suggested by the source as an accompaniment. Cook them separately and serve alongside; don't mix them into the batter.
- Sautéed onions: Another accompaniment from the source. The one onion in the ingredient list goes into the batter, so you'll need a separate onion for this.
- Dill or parsley: Herbs the source suggests for finishing. They are optional and not part of the batter.
- Bacon: Another way draniki are commonly eaten. If you use store-bought bacon, check its label.
Leftovers and Reheating
No storage period has been established for this dish, and its storage has not been tested. Follow general home food-safety guidance: divide leftovers into small portions in clean, shallow containers, cool them quickly, and refrigerate them promptly. Don't leave them at room temperature for long. When reheating, heat them until the center reaches 75°C or above.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many servings or pancakes does this make?
The source recipe does not say. The number depends on the size of your potatoes and how large you shape each pancake, so this article doesn't give a fixed count.
Can I use potato starch instead of flour?
The recipe uses wheat flour. Potato starch behaves differently and gives a different result, so it is not a like-for-like substitute. If you try it, treat it as a separate variation rather than this recipe.
Can I grate the potatoes finely?
Yes. The source allows fine grating, but it notes that coarse-grated potato comes out especially crispy.
What should I serve with draniki?
The source recipe suggests sour cream, sautéed mushrooms or onions, and herbs such as dill or parsley. They are also commonly eaten with bacon.
Are draniki the same as Ukrainian deruny?
They are similar grated-potato dishes from neighboring Slavic cuisines, but they carry different national names, and recipes vary by household. This article covers Belarusian draniki through one Belarusian home recipe and doesn't claim the dishes are identical.
Why shouldn't I taste the batter?
It contains raw potato, raw egg and raw flour. To check the seasoning, fry a small piece until it is cooked all the way through, then taste that.
Sources
- JDC, "How to Make Daria's Draniki at Home." The adopted Belarusian home recipe by Daria Gorokh: ingredients (about 2¼ lb (1 kg) potatoes, 1 egg, 1 onion, 3 tbsp flour, 3 garlic cloves, salt, pepper, oil), coarse grating of the potatoes and squeezing out the excess liquid, fine grating of the onion and garlic, frying about 2 minutes per side, the option of fine grating, each family's own draniki, and suggested accompaniments. https://www.jdc.org/learn/recipe/darias-draniki-belarusian-latkes/
- Visit Belarus, "Features and Dishes of Belarusian cuisine." Local ingredients such as potatoes in Belarusian cuisine, grated-potato dishes, draniki as a widely known dish, eating them with sour cream or bacon, and common ground with neighboring Slavic cuisines. https://www.visit-belarus.com/en/dishes_belarusian_cuisine/
- Kashevar, "Draniki (Potato Fritters) Recipe." Used only as a comparison showing that published draniki recipes differ (fine grating, sour cream and baking soda in the batter, resting, frying covered); not combined with the adopted recipe. https://kashevar.com/en/recipes/draniki-potato-fritters
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan), "家庭での食中毒予防" (Preventing food poisoning at home). General home guidance: cook until the center reaches 75°C for at least 1 minute, reheat to 75°C or above, and divide leftovers into clean, shallow containers, cool them quickly and don't leave them at room temperature for long. Not specific to this recipe. https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/kenkou_iryou/shokuhin/syokuchu/01_00008.html
