Potato Pancakes with Meat Filling (Draniki), Pan-Fried

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make draniki with a meat filling? Gather all your ingredients. Use any ground meat you like. If you're buying it ready-made, choose good quality with no fillers — but grinding it yourself is even better. I'm using a pork-and-chicken blend. If your onions are small, use two; the more onion, the juicier and more tender the filling.

2. Step 2:

   

   Start with the filling. Peel the onion, rinse it, and chop it as finely as you can. Draniki fry quickly, so the onion needs to be small enough to cook through. Put the ground meat and onion in a deep bowl. Add salt and a little ground black pepper.

3. Step 3:

   

   Knead the filling until smooth — it's easiest to do this by hand.

4. Step 4:

   

   Peel and rinse the potatoes. Their color affects the pancakes — new potatoes give lighter draniki, older ones come out darker. The longer grated potato sits, the darker it gets too. So before you start peeling, have everything set up for frying: place the bowl of filling near the stove and set a skillet with oil over low heat to warm up.

5. Step 5:

   

   Grate the potatoes on the fine side of a grater — a food processor makes this easier, especially for a big batch. Transfer the grated potato to a colander, give it a light stir, and let the excess liquid drain off.

6. Step 6:

   

   Don't toss that drained liquid right away! The starch the draniki need to hold their shape and not fall apart during frying has run off with the water. Carefully pour off the water but keep the starch that has settled at the bottom, and add it back to the potatoes. Don't try to drain every last drop — it's fine if a little water goes back in.

7. Step 7:

   

   Add a little salt and mix well.

8. Step 8:

   

   Turn the heat under the skillet up high. I fry my draniki at about an 8 out of 10. Put a little grated potato in your palm and top it with a round of the meat filling.

9. Step 9:

   

   Cover the top with a thin layer of potato — just enough to seal in the filling. Using the fingers of your other hand, gently shape it into a round patty and slide it into the skillet. If too much water weeps out of the potatoes, drain it: lay a tablespoon flat in the bowl and press it down to the edge, and the excess water will gradually collect in it.

10. Step 10:

    

    Fry the pancakes over high heat until golden brown on both sides, about 3–4 minutes per side. Add more oil as you go, as needed.

11. Step 11:

    

    To blot off excess oil, transfer the draniki from the skillet onto paper towels.