This week’s country is the closest I’ve come to my roots so far. My ancestors come from both Hungary and somewhere in Russia. Although in fairness, it’s possible my great grandparents may have come from present day Belarus or somewhere else that is now considered Russia.
Regardless, there is something about the food this week that gives me comfort and familiarity. We spent many family gatherings devouring one of these dishes this week. And the flavors of the other are very ingrained in my psyche.
THE CUISINE
I can’t imagine there is a word in Belarusian for vegetarian or gluten free. The food of this landlocked country is heavily based on meat and bread, especially rye bread.
The cuisine is not so different from its Slavic neighbors (namely Russia, Poland, and Lithuania) and many of the dishes and ingredients are nearly identical.
Belarus was a part of the USSR until it fell in 1991 and so the food and culture is intrinsically linked to its large neighbor. Many of the dishes are also based on peasant food and peasant dishes, especially potatoes, soup, and breads.
It’s telling that both dishes we cook this week include pork lard. Smoky, earthy, fatty flavors are present. Pork reigns supreme and they use all parts of the pig to make sausages, dumplings, stews, and even stuff it into their potato pancakes.
As for vegetables and herbs, think things you find in the forest: dill, mushrooms, roots, berries. Białowieża Forest is a major part of Belarus’ geography.
But if you do happen to be vegetarian and gluten free, they always have the well-loved potato.
BELARUSIAN FOOD IN NEW YORK
It’s really a shame I didn’t start this project before the pandemic because I would have really broadened my international food knowledge in the city.
Turns out there was a restaurant called Belarussian Xata (wonder what kind of food they served?) but it seems to be a victim of the pandemic and closed last year.
And sadly, I can’t locate a designated Belarusian restaurant any longer. Of course, there is plenty of Russian food in and around Brighton Beach (and elsewhere in the city) and I have no doubt many of these dishes are available, but unfortunately Belarus is another cuisine that seems to be unrepresented in the city at this moment.
THE VIDEO
Sam has a lot of ice cream flavor inspirations from some of the ingredients we are using. Dill ice cream anyone?
He is also fascinated by the hardship I deal with while grating all five potatoes, onion, and garlic. The pain and sweat we endure for our art, right?
THE DISHES
I had not heard potato pancakes called Draniki before, but that’s what they are in Belarus and they are considered the National Dish of Belarus.
The word draniki translates to “rubbing” or “grating”. And I can assure you that a lot of that happens in this recipe.
The potatoes (and onions) need to be grated or shredded very fine and then all of the water must be squeezed out to ensure browning. I did the grating by hand (which you will see my agony in the video above), but it’s also possible to use a food processor.
Many variations exist, although it is common to serve it with dill and sour cream. We used to add apple sauce to our potato pancakes, but that doesn’t seem to be a thing so much in Belarus. You’ll also find the draniki stuffed with meat or mushrooms.
We kept it simple here. Aside from the blood, sweat, and tears that went into making sure the potato mixture was finely grated and dry.
Another key for getting the pancakes brown is using pork lard. It’s not the healthiest option, by any means, but it makes for a delicious Belarusian specialty.
Now we took some liberties with the Machanka and that was really to make things more appealing for Sam and my wife. Believe me, I would have been happy with the addition of beer.
This sausage stew is usually cooked with a dark beer and served with a side of yeast crepes. My wife is gluten free (clearly not a Belarusian) and while I could have found a gluten free beer to use, I thought beef broth would work just as well. And then there would be no concern about Sam accidentally getting drunk. He already screams out of the blue and bursts into tears for no reason.
The meat in the machanka can range from bacon to ham. But we went with a typical smoked pork sausage that we got form a local butcher. Along with dill, sour cream, and onion, it gave off all the flavors and smells I associate with Eastern Europe.
We also substituted the yeast crepes (which sounded fascinating) for the potato pancakes. Not as easy to dip in the meaty smoky hearty sauce, but delicious nonetheless.
THE RECIPE
Draniki and Machanka from Belarus
Two hearty traditional dishes from Belarus that aren't always served together but certainly make a complete meal. Crispy potato pancakes fried in pork lard are a delicious side to a rich saucy sausage dish.
Draniki
- 5 potatoes
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 medium onion
- 1 egg
- 2 tbspn pork lard (or butter)
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- sour cream
- dill
Machanka
- 1 large smoked pork sausage
- 1 cup dark beer or beef broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tspn salt
- 2 tbspn pork lard (or butter)
- 1 medium onion (chopped)
- 2 tbspn flour
- 3 tbspn sour cream
- dill (fresh)
Draniki
Prep
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Finely grate potatoes, garlic, and onion. Strain the water in a fine sieve to get the mixture as dry as possible.
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Mix into bowl with salt, pepper, and egg. Stir well.
Frying
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Heat lard in a griddle or frying pan over medium. When hot, drop spoonfuls of the potato batter and fry until golden brown on one side flattening the mixture with a spatula.
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When brown on the edges, carefully flip over to brown on the other side.
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Serve topped with sour cream and fresh dill.
Machanka
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Add water and beer or broth into a pot and bring to a simmer. Add bay leaves. Then add sausage and salt. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes.
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Remove sausages and let cool. When cool, slice sausages into pieces.
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In a separate pan, heat lard over medium high and sautee onion until brown.
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Stir in flour.
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Lower heat and gradually add water and beer (or broth) mixture from pot. Keep stirring until smooth.
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Stir in sour cream and sausage slices. Top with chopped dill.
HOW I SCREWED IT UP
Some people might argue we screwed up the Machanka because we didn’t use beer and we didn’t serve it with yeast pancakes. But we had good reason for both (see above).
But considering we left out two potentially major additions, it was really really delicious. The Machanka was rather hard to screw up because we started with a fully cooked high quality sausage and the rest of the ingredients were easily incorporated.
As for the potato pancakes, I did manage to get most of the water out so the pancakes did become mostly crispy. I used a griddle that I hadn’t really used before and I wasn’t sure how the heat was conducted.
I could have let it heat up a little more and waited to flip the pancakes. I had to go back and forth a bit, but they managed to mostly come out flavorful and browned.
Good thing I didn’t do a terrible job – my ancestors would be rolling in their graves.
SAM’S REACTION
I thought this week would be a home run for Sam. One of his absolutely favorite things to eat is a smoky sausage that we would get at a local Portuguese restaurant. He likes salty, smoky, meaty flavors.
As for the potato pancake, he would only give is a half-hearted taste. I can’t believe he wouldn’t give it an actual bite because there’s no doubt he would love it. I mean, who wouldn’t?
NEXT TIME
The land of beer, waffles, chocolate, and mussels. I can’t think of another place I’d rather go than to Belgium…
