Mind-Blowing Crispy Potato Pancakes with Cheese Filling from Voronezh

Draniki or deruny are not just potato pancakes; they are an art form with many nuances. Everyone loves fried potatoes, and fried potatoes in the form of draniki (you can tell kids it«s a messy hash brown) are the ultimate pleasure! We offer you simple recipes for perfect draniki.

Classic Crispy Draniki (Like Grandma«s)

Classic Crispy Draniki (Like Grandma«s)

Ingredients:

• Potatoes — 1 kg (preferably starchy varieties)

• Onion — 1 large or 2 medium (not only for flavor, but also to prevent the potatoes from darkening)

• Egg — 1 piece

• Flour or starch — 2-3 tbsp. (heaped)

• Salt — to taste (approximately 1 tsp. without a heap)

• Ground black pepper — a pinch

• Vegetable oil for frying (refined)

Preparation:

1. Preparing the potatoes. Peel the potatoes. Peel the onion. Grate on a fine grater (or in a food processor) first the onion, then immediately the potatoes. This is important: the onion juice will slow down the oxidation of the potatoes.

2. Squeeze with all your might! Transfer the resulting mass to a colander or, ideally, a sieve. Squeeze hard with your hands or a spoon over a bowl. Let it stand for 2 minutes, then squeeze again. Drain the excess liquid, but collect the white starch from the bottom of the bowl and return it to the squeezed potatoes — this will help bind the draniki.

3. Knead the dough. Add the egg, salt, pepper, flour/starch to the squeezed mass. Mix thoroughly. The dough should be thick but spreadable with a spoon.

4. Fry. Heat oil in a pan (the bottom should be covered). Place dollops with a tablespoon, forming them flat (0.5-1 cm thick). Fry on medium-high heat until golden and very crispy (3-4 minutes). Flip and fry on the other side. Place finished draniki on paper towels to remove excess oil.

5. Eat immediately! With sour cream, with cottage cheese and herbs, as a side dish for meat.

Tsvetaevsky Draniki with Cheese Filling

An exquisite variation where crispy draniki are combined with a tender melted cheese center.

Ingredients for the dough:

• Potatoes — 600 g

• Onion — 1 piece

• Egg — 1 piece

• Salt, pepper

• 1 tbsp. sour cream (for softness)

• Flour — 1.5-2 tbsp.

• Vegetable oil

Ingredients for the filling:

• Hard cheese (like Russian, Gouda) — 150 g

• Soft cheese (cottage cheese, like Philadelphia, or just fatty sour cream) — 100 g

• Herbs (dill, green onions) — a small bunch

• 1 clove of garlic (optional)

Preparation:

1. Prepare the base. Grate the potatoes and onion, squeeze VERY well, as in the classic recipe. Add egg, sour cream, salt, pepper, flour. Mix.

2. Prepare the filling. Grate the hard cheese on a fine grater. Mix the soft cheese with chopped herbs and garlic. Add the grated hard cheese and knead well. Roll the cheese mixture into small balls (the size of a hazelnut).

3. Form the draniki. Place a spoonful of potato mixture on a pan with oil. Place a cheese ball on top. Cover it with another spoonful of potato mixture, carefully smoothing the edges so that the filling is inside.

4. Fry. Fry on medium heat under a lid for 4-5 minutes so that the cheese has time to heat up. Then remove the lid, flip and fry until golden and crispy on the other side.

5. Serve immediately. These draniki are especially good hot, when the cheese stretches from them. You can drizzle with sour cream and herbs.

Important Tips for Perfect Draniki:

• Flour or starch. Starch gives a more distinct crispy crust, flour — a denser texture. You can mix them.

• Don«t prepare the dough in advance! The potato mixture needs to be fried immediately after preparation, otherwise it will darken and release a lot of water.

• Thickness. The thinner the dranik, the crispier it is. The thicker — the tenderer inside.

• Grater. A fine grater will give homogeneous, »velvety« draniki. A coarse one — more textured.