Deruny

The story

Deruny take their name from the Ukrainian verb derty, to grate, and grating is most of the work: raw potatoes are shredded with onion, bound with egg and a little flour, and shallow-fried in oil until crisp at the edges. In different parts of the country the same pancakes are called tertiukhy, kremzlyky or rysylovanyky. They are made all over Ukraine, especially in the north and east, and they count as the signature dish of Polissia in the north. Since 2008 the northern town of Korosten has held an annual International Deruny Festival with cooking competitions, tastings and demonstrations of the traditional method. At home, deruny arrive at the table hot and are eaten with sour cream, sometimes with mushrooms or onions alongside. Families add cabbage, cheese or herbs to the batter, and a heartier version seals a layer of seasoned ground meat between two spoonfuls of potato. Ukrainian cooks keep a few rules: grate the potatoes right after peeling, pour off the juice but keep the starch, and fry without a lid so the crust stays crisp. Fry them in batches and serve with sour cream and a sauerkraut salad.