Potato placki (placki ziemniaczane) with sour cream were THE comfort food of my childhood, along with pierogi (but that’s another post). When my mother was a child, she had no electricity, so placki were made over the wood stove. Her family ate them on Sundays after church, with either sour cream or twarogiem, a type of cottage cheese. These days I reserve them for Christmas or dinner parties, often served with smoked salmon and a little sour cream with lemon and dill, as you see in my photo from last Christmas. There are a million ways to serve placki, both savoury and sweet, and each family has a different version on the traditional recipe. Make them larger – a meal. Make them smaller – an appetizer. For my money, just simple potato placki and sour cream for the win.
“Gold is only valuable because we agree it is, right? It’s just a dream. But a potato is always worth a potato, anywhere. A knob of butter and a pinch of salt and you’ve got a meal, anywhere.”
-Terry Pratchett, making money
Placki – Ultimate Potato Pancake Comfort Food
Ingredients
- 3 large potatoes, finely grated (white or red). Drain if quite wet. A little starchy water doesn't hurt.
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp plain flour, plus a little extra
- 1 onion, grated, (optional – not in my mother's recipe but nice to add if you wish)
- vegetable oil or other light oil, salt and pepper
Instructions
- Mix potatoes, egg, flour and onion, if adding, until smooth. Season. The mix should be easy to pour but not runny. If so, add a little flour.
- Heat oil in pan on medium heat. Add a tablespoon of batter and smooth to desired thickness. Continue around the pan. Depending on your pan you'll probably have six including one in the middle.
- Cook 2-3 minutes each side, or until golden brown. Easiest way to flip is with a spoon and knife. It's best to keep it slow and take your time as you don't want it to brown too quickly, and you need the potato and onion to cook through.
- Drain on paper towel while you cook the next batch.
- Serve hot or cold. Can be reheated nicely either in the pan or in the microwave.
[…] of my other joys – sour cream, salmon, lemon and dill (which I’ve also used here with placki). To me, dill is the beluga caviar of herbs — another thing which goes hand in hand with […]