What are they?
Ukrainian potato pancakes: raw potato grated fine, mixed with onion, egg and a spoonful of
flour, fried until crisp and served with smetana.
How are they different from latkes, rösti and hash browns?
Latkes are essentially the same idea from Jewish cuisine, often coarser grated.
Rösti uses par-boiled potato and no egg, made as one large cake. Hash browns are usually
par-cooked and unbound.
Deruny are finely grated, raw, bound with egg — the mixture should be
closer to a batter than to shreds.
What potato should I use?
A starchy one. Starch is the natural binder; waxy salad potatoes give a wet mixture
that needs far more flour, and flour is what makes deruny heavy.
An older, starchier potato from winter storage works better here than a young one.
Do I squeeze the liquid out?
Yes — but let it stand first. Grated potato releases a lot of water; squeeze the gratings,
then let the liquid sit a minute. A white layer of starch settles at the bottom.
Pour off the water and scrape that starch back in — free binder.
Why did mine go grey?
Oxidation, and it starts within minutes. Grate the onion in as you go, add a little acid,
and work fast — the full explanation is in
why deruny turn grey.
How long do they fry?
Medium-high heat, a generous film of oil, 3–4 minutes a side.
Do not crowd the pan — deruny steam rather than crisp if the temperature drops.
Drain them on a rack, not paper towel, or the underside softens.
Is there a version that is not breakfast?
Yes, and it is worth knowing: fried deruny layered in a clay pot with mushrooms, meat and
sour cream, then baked. A common festive treatment and a different dish entirely.
More on this:
Why deruny turn grey ·
What is smetana ·
Can you freeze potatoes ·
What is syrnyky