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Potato pancakes in Ukrainian

Ukrainian Potato Pancakes (Deruny)

Quick, wildly delicious, simple, and perfect for any day! Ukrainian potato pancakes — deruny — are a wonderful, budget-friendly family dish you can whip up for dinner. Serve them hot with any savory sauce or sour cream, alongside fresh herbs and vegetables!

Julia M.

Recipe author

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Potatoes

Onion

Egg

Fresh herbs

Salt

Dry spices

Vegetable oil (for frying)

Sour cream

200

Garlic

Fresh herbs

Salt

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 9 % 2 g

Fats 30 % 7 g

Carbohydrates 61 % 14 g

127 kcal

GI: 100 / 0 / 0

Cooking method

Cooking time: 40 min

Step 1:

How do you make Ukrainian potato pancakes? Gather everything you need. Peel the potatoes and onion and rinse off any dirt. Don't let the peeled potatoes sit too long or they'll darken — and don't cover them with water either, since the starch that leaches out is exactly what the pancakes need to hold together.
Step 2:

Use a roomy, deep bowl so nothing spills as you mix. Grate the onion into the bowl on the fine side of a grater — it should turn into a soft onion purée.
Step 3:

Grate the potatoes on the fine side right away too, stirring them into the onion purée as you go so they don't darken.
Step 4:

Add the egg, salt, and a little seasoning to the bowl. Ground black pepper and a pinch of paprika are plenty.
Step 5:

Stir in the chopped fresh herbs.
Step 6:

Mix everything until well combined. If the potatoes release a lot of juice, drain it off.
Step 7:

Heat a skillet and add about 2–3 mm of vegetable oil. Spoon on small mounds of the potato batter and fry over medium-low heat until golden on both sides.
Step 8:

The finished pancakes turn a beautiful golden color. Transfer them to a paper towel to blot off any excess oil.
Step 9:

A garlicky sour cream sauce is the perfect companion for these pancakes. To make it, stir together the sour cream, chopped herbs, and garlic pressed through a garlic press.
Step 10:

Arrange the finished potato pancakes on a plate and serve with the sour cream sauce. Serve them hot. Enjoy!

For proper deruny, use starchy potatoes. Here's an easy test: cut a potato in half and rub the two halves together for 30 seconds. Let go of the bottom half — it should stay "glued" in place. If it drops off, work a little starch into the potato batter.
To check whether the oil in the skillet is hot enough, dip in a wooden spatula. If bubbles gather around it, you're ready to start frying.
Use an oil with a high smoke point for frying. Every oil is healthy only up to a certain temperature — its smoke point — beyond which it begins to burn and form harmful compounds, including carcinogens. Unrefined oils, with few exceptions, have a low smoke point: they contain many unfiltered organic particles that scorch quickly. Refined oils stand up to heat better and have a higher smoke point. For oven, skillet, or grill cooking, reach for a high-smoke-point oil — refined sunflower, olive, and grapeseed are among the most common.