Baked Potato Pancakes (Draniki)

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make potato pancakes in the oven? Gather your ingredients. Use medium potatoes — I have 3, since I made a half batch. You can add onion and garlic if you like; we prefer ours without.

2. Step 2:

   

   Wash the potatoes well under running water, then peel them. Grate them straight into the bowl you'll mix the batter in — fewer dishes that way. Which grater to use is up to you: authentic Belarusian draniki use the finest holes, but modern recipes allow a coarser grate. I went with the medium holes.

3. Step 3:

   

   Now squeeze the grated potatoes well with your hands to get rid of the excess liquid — it would keep the pancakes from browning. Here I'd actually reach for a colander rather than save on dishes; it's much easier. Discard the drained liquid. You should be left with fairly dry grated potato.

4. Step 4:

   

   Crack in the eggs and add salt and pepper to taste. Add the flour. For crispier pancakes, you can swap part of the flour for potato starch.

5. Step 5:

   

   Mix the potato batter thoroughly.

6. Step 6:

   

   Take a baking sheet of the right size. You can line it with parchment or leave it bare. With parchment the pancakes need even less oil — that's what I did. Brush the parchment with a little odorless vegetable oil. If you're using a bare sheet, use a bit more oil and brush it on; a pastry brush makes this easy. Spoon the batter onto the sheet in little rounds. I got 9 from a half batch.

7. Step 7:

   

   Mine turned out a bit large — you could make them smaller and thicker. Put the sheet into an oven preheated to 375°F (190°C) (mine is electric, top-and-bottom heat) for about 30 minutes. The pancakes should brown on the bottom. Mine were slow to brown, so I raised the temperature to 400°F (200°C). Once they've browned, take out the sheet and flip the pancakes with a spatula. Go by your own oven.

8. Step 8:

   

   Return the sheet to the oven and bake the pancakes another 15 minutes. Move the hot pancakes to a plate and serve right away.

9. Step 9:

   

   Serve the pancakes with sour cream. Enjoy!