Ukrainian Potato Pancakes (Deruny)
Деруни DerunySay it: deh-roo-NY
Deruny are Ukraine's beloved potato pancakes: freshly grated potato and onion bound with egg and a little flour, spooned into hot oil and fried until the edges turn lacy and crisp. They are a everyday dish, cooked in home kitchens and served at village holidays, usually with cold sour cream or a fragrant mushroom sauce. The contrast is the point — shatteringly crisp outside, tender and steamy within, with a sweet-sharp onion note and plenty of dill alongside.
Ukrainian Potato Pancakes (Deruny)
Деруни, Deruny
Pronounced deh-roo-NY
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Level
- Easy
Also nut-free.
Allergens: contains gluten, egg. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
For the pancakes
Method
Grate the potatoes on the fine side of a box grater into a large bowl, or pulse them briefly in a food processor until finely shredded but not puréed. Grate the onion on the same grater and stir it into the potato straight away.
Tip the mixture into a clean cotton towel or a double layer of cheesecloth and wring it hard over the sink until almost no liquid drips out — squeeze in two or three batches so nothing is missed.
Turn the squeezed mixture into a bowl and stir in the eggs, flour, salt and pepper with a fork until evenly combined. The batter should hold together when pressed; if it looks wet, add another tablespoon of flour.
Set a heavy 10-inch (25 cm) skillet over medium-high heat and add oil to a depth of about 1/4 inch (6 mm). Heat until a drop of batter sizzles at once.
Drop 2 heaped tablespoons of batter per pancake into the pan and flatten each with the back of the spoon into a round about 3 1/2 inches (9 cm) across and 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick, leaving space between them.
Fry for 3 to 4 minutes, until the underside is deep golden and the edges look crisp and lacy, then flip and cook 2 to 3 minutes more, until golden on the second side and cooked through.
Lift the pancakes onto a plate lined with paper towels to drain, and keep them warm in a low oven while you fry the rest, adding a little more oil to the pan between batches as needed.
Serve hot and crisp, with cold sour cream, mushroom sauce and a scatter of chopped dill.
Regional variants
Some cooks fold 2 tablespoons of sour cream or a crushed garlic clove into the batter for a softer, sharper pancake, and in mushroom season the sauce is made from dried porcini or fresh wild mushrooms simmered with onion, a little flour and cream.
Cook's notes
- After squeezing the potatoes, let the squeezed-out liquid stand for 5 minutes, pour off the water and scrape the white potato starch back into the batter — it makes the pancakes noticeably crisper.
- Grate and fry in the same session; the batter darkens and weeps if it sits, so stir it and start cooking within 10 minutes.
- Keep the pan at a steady medium-high heat: too cool and the pancakes soak up oil, too hot and they burn before the middle sets.
Serve with
Cold sour cream (smetana), mushroom sauce and chopped dill; also good with a plain tomato and cucumber salad.
Make ahead and storage
Fry up to 2 hours ahead and reheat on a rack in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 8 to 10 minutes; refrigerate leftovers up to 2 days and reheat the same way.
