Crispy Draniki Potato Pancakes with Salmon and Stracciatella

Golden, shatteringly crisp on the outside and tender in the middle, these potato pancakes get a luxurious upgrade with silky smoked salmon and creamy stracciatella. Inspired by classic draniki, they come together with just a handful of pantry staples. If you love salmon-centered dinners, also try my Creamy Baked Salmon Pasta — another easy weeknight favorite.

Ingredients

• 400 g (14 oz) potatoes
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 2 tbsp rice flour
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Oil for frying

To serve:

• Lightly salted red fish (smoked salmon)
• Stracciatella or soft cream cheese
• Pea microgreens

Instructions

1. Grate the potatoes on a coarse grater.
2. Season with salt, mix and let stand for 5–7 minutes so the potatoes release their juice.
3. Squeeze the potato mixture very well to remove excess liquid.
4. Add the egg, egg white, rice flour and black pepper. Mix until uniform.
5. Heat a skillet with a little oil over medium heat.
6. Spoon the potato mixture into the pan, shaping round little pancakes.
7. Fry on one side until beautifully golden and crisp.
8. Flip, cover with a lid and cook for 3–4 more minutes so the pancakes are cooked through inside. Serve with salmon, stracciatella and microgreens.

Tips

• Squeeze the grated potatoes really well — removing as much liquid as possible is the secret to pancakes that fry up crisp instead of soggy. A clean kitchen towel works better than bare hands.
• Keep the heat at medium: too hot and the outside burns before the inside cooks through; too low and the pancakes absorb excess oil. For more crisp-potato know-how, the technique guides at Serious Eats are an excellent reference.
• Rice flour keeps these pancakes light and nearly gluten-free; you can swap in all-purpose flour in the same amount if you prefer.

Nutrition (per 100 g): 123 kcal · protein 5.1 g · fat 4.4 g · carbs 15.4 g.

These draniki are endlessly riffable — swap in the herbed patties from my Chopped Salmon Patties with Broccoli, or turn the potato base into something cozy with Creamy Salmon Soup with Potatoes and Broccoli.