Lithuanian · Main course · Free recipe
Lithuanian-Style Potato Pancakes
Thin grated-potato pancakes fry until crisp, ready for sour cream and dill.
- Active preparation
- 20 min
- Cooking
- 25 min
- Makes
- 12 pancakes / 4 servings
- Additional time
- Rest: none
At the table
A home-kitchen version.
Grated floury potatoes and onion form these small, crisp pancakes. Eggs and a little flour bind the mixture, while sour cream and dill finish the plate.
Keep the pancakes thin enough to cook through before the outside gets too dark. Work in batches rather than crowding the pan and lowering its temperature.
The recipe
Lithuanian-Style Potato Pancakes
Makes 12 pancakes / 4 servings
Timings are guidance for the original amount. Allow extra time for additional batches, resting or chilling; follow the method and doneness checks.
Ingredients
Equipment
Fine grater; large frying pan; rack
Allergen notes
Wheat; eggs; milk when served with sour cream
Method
Prepare the potatoes. Finely grate the potatoes and onion into a bowl. Tip into a sieve or clean cloth and press out the freely running liquid, without making the mixture completely dry.
Recover the starch. Let the liquid stand for 3 minutes. Pour off the watery layer and return the white starch at the bottom to the grated vegetables. This helps bind the pancakes without adding too much flour.
Mix the batter. Stir in the eggs, flour, salt and pepper. The mixture should mound softly on a spoon, not pour like cream. If a puddle forms while it waits, stir and spoon away just the excess liquid.
Heat the pan. Add enough oil to cover the base of the pan by about 3 mm. Heat over medium to medium-high heat. A small dab of batter should sizzle immediately, but the oil should not smoke.
Fry in batches. For each pancake, add about 2 tablespoons of mixture and flatten to 8–9 cm wide and 5–7 mm thick. Fry for 3–4 minutes per side until crisp and cooked through. Avoid crowding the pan.
Drain and serve. Drain on a rack or briefly on kitchen paper. Taste the first pancake and adjust the seasoning of the remaining batter if needed. Serve immediately with sour cream and dill; add more oil between batches as required.
Use doneness checks rather than appearance alone. FoodSafety.gov temperature guidance.
Small details, better results
Before you cook
- Use the potato type specified in the ingredient list; different varieties release different amounts of moisture.
- If the surface darkens before the middle cooks, reduce the heat and flatten the next batch more thinly.
Common questions
Why are the centres still raw?
Thick mounds can brown outside before the potato cooks. Follow the method's size and thickness, and reduce the heat if necessary.
What goes with these pancakes?
The source recipe serves them with the listed sour cream and chopped dill.
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