Polish
Placki Ziemniaczane
Thin Polish potato pancakes with deeply golden, lacy edges, tender centers, and chilled sour cream for a cool, cultured finish.
4 servings · 25 minutes prep · 25 minutes cook
Ingredients
Potato batter
- 2 lb, About 4 medium.
- 1 medium onion (5½ oz), Peeled.
- 1 large egg (1¾ oz out of shell), Lightly beaten.
- 2 tbsp
- 2 tsp, Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
- ¼ tsp, Finely ground.
For frying and serving
- 1 cup, Use refined sunflower oil; refined canola oil is equally suitable.
- ¾ cup, Full-fat and chilled.
Directions
1. Prepare the frying and holding setup
- Heat the {{tool:oven}} to 225°F (107°C). Set the {{tool:wire-rack}} inside the {{tool:rimmed-baking-sheet}}; do not line it with paper towels, which trap steam against the pancakes.
- Pour enough sunflower oil into the {{tool:cast-iron-skillet}}—a 12-inch (30 cm) skillet is preferred—to form an even ⅛-inch (3 mm) layer, about ⅓ cup (80 ml). Begin heating over medium while preparing the potatoes.
2. Grate, drain, and recover the starch
- Set the {{tool:fine-mesh-strainer}} over the {{tool:large-bowl}}. Using the fine shredding holes of the {{tool:box-grater}}, grate the yellow onion and russet potatoes into a wet pulp, alternating between them so the onion disperses through the potatoes and limits discoloration. Work briskly.
- Transfer the pulp to the strainer. Press firmly with the {{tool:rubber-spatula}}, then squeeze handfuls over the bowl until liquid falls only in slow drips. The potatoes should remain moist enough to cling together, not dry or crumbly.
- Leave the collected liquid undisturbed for 5 minutes. Carefully pour off and discard the brownish water, exposing the dense white potato starch settled on the bottom. Return all that starch to the drained potato mixture.
3. Finish the batter
- Add the egg, all purpose flour, kosher salt, and black pepper. Mix thoroughly until the recovered starch is evenly incorporated.
- The batter should be loose but spoonable: a pressed spoonful should hold together while a little moisture gathers around its edges. Do not add extra flour; excess flour makes the pancakes bready instead of crisp.
- Keep the batter beside the stove and stir from the bottom before filling the spoon each time, because liquid and starch continue to separate. Fry immediately.
4. Fry thin pancakes
- Bring the oil to 350°F (177°C). Use the {{tool:infrared-thermometer}} to scan the oil surface at the center of the skillet and at several nearby points without touching the pan. As a noninstrumental check, a small shred of batter should bubble vigorously on contact without darkening during the first 20 seconds.
- For each pancake, add 3 level tablespoons (45 ml; approximately 45 g) batter. Immediately spread it with the back of the spoon into a 4-inch (10 cm) round no thicker than ⅛ inch (3 mm), allowing a few strands to extend at the edge.
- Fry no more than 3 pancakes at once, checking with the {{tool:infrared-thermometer}} so the oil remains between 340 and 360°F (171–182°C). Cook the first side for 2½–3½ minutes, until the underside is deep golden, the perimeter is visibly crisp and lacy, and the top has lost its wet sheen.
- Turn with the {{tool:spatula}} and fry for 1½–2½ minutes more. A finished pancake should be richly browned on both sides, rigid at the edges, and tender—not wet or gummy—at the center.
- Transfer the pancakes to the {{tool:wire-rack}} in a single layer. Let excess oil drip for 30 seconds, then place the rack in the oven if hot holding is needed. Do not stack or cover the pancakes.
- Stir the batter from the bottom and restore the oil to 350°F (177°C) before each batch, using the {{tool:infrared-thermometer}} to monitor the oil surface. Add the remaining sunflower oil gradually as needed to maintain the ⅛-inch (3 mm) depth. Remove loose browned fragments between batches so they do not burn.
- Continue until all 14 pancakes are fried. Hold finished pancakes in the oven for no longer than 20 minutes; for the crispest texture, serve each batch as soon as practical.
5. Serve
- Serve the placki immediately with the chilled sour cream alongside.
