Draniki (Potato Pancakes)

Method

Peel and coarsely grate the potato|potatoes and onion directly into a clean kitchen towel. Gather the towel and wring out as much moisture as you can — this is the single most important step. Wet mixture will not hold together and will steam rather than crisp in the pan.

Tip the drained potato and onion into a bowl. Add the eggs, flour, salt and pepper and mix until just combined. The batter should be thick enough to hold its shape when dropped from a spoon.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. For shallow-frying, you need enough oil to come halfway up the pancakes — around 5mm depth. Drop heaped tablespoons of mixture into the hot oil, spacing them apart, and press gently flat with the back of the spoon.

Fry for 3-4 minutes without moving until golden brown underneath, then flip and cook the other side for 3 minutes. Adjust the heat if the outside colours too quickly before the centre cooks through.

Drain on kitchen paper and serve immediately with soured cream. Draniki do not hold well — eat them straight from the pan.