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There is a famous stereotype that Belarusians eat only potatoes and are a potato-obsessed nation. As it turned out – I am a very stereotypical Belarusian in this regard, because my favorite food is…drumroll… potatoes! I just don’t think anything could be so versatile, tasty, comforting, easy to cook, and always in abundance. I can definitely eat potatoes every day and never get tired of it.

A few weeks ago, as my husband and I were driving somewhere and talking, the conversation turned to childhood memories, and I mentioned how I loved planting potatoes in spring and harvesting them in autumn. I was instantly carried away in my memories. I kept talking about it for quite some time with so much passion and enthusiasm that I didn’t even care if my husband was still listening. I told him how much the process of planting potatoes was organized and how every family member had their designated task: someone was digging the ground with a shovel, someone was carrying the buckets with potatoes, and someone (usually me) was throwing potatoes into the ground. I told him how exciting it was to harvest potatoes in the fall, not knowing how many you would find. It was like a treasure hunt, and I felt so happy when there were lots of potatoes under one potato plant. I was so amazed how you could plant only one potato and get five or six in return. It looked like a miracle to me. I described the taste of hot fried new potatoes with fresh chopped dill that just melted in the mouth – the best meal after hours of working in the field. When I stopped talking and looked at my husband, he was sitting in silence with an astonished look. He said that he had never heard anyone talking about potatoes like that and that there was no doubt that he married a true Belarusian.

With that being said, I hope you are persuaded that I indeed have a passion for everything potatoes and that potato recipes from my Belarusian family are worth a try.

Below you’ll find two recipes:

draniki (or deruny) – classic vegetarian potato pancakes

kalduny – potato pancakes stuffed with meat

This post is a part of the monthly series of family recipes that are cherished, loved, and passed through generations in my Belarusian and Ukrainian families. I cook each recipe in my kitchen and include detailed descriptions and photos of each step, as well as family cooking secrets and tips. Each post has a PDF version of the recipes that you can download, print, and add to your cookbook. The step-by-step recipe instructions are available for paid subscribers. By upgrading to paid, you won’t only receive detailed Eastern European recipes each month and access to all previously posted recipes, but will also allow me to continue my work and support both of my families who became refugees and whose recipes I share with you.

Recipe #1

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