Lithuanian Potato Pancakes With Meat
If you’re looking for a dish that truly represents hearty Baltic comfort food, Kėdainių Blynai are hard to beat. These Lithuanian potato pancakes with meat are crispy on the outside, tender inside, and packed with savory pork filling. They are filling, deeply satisfying, and definitely not for the faint-hearted — this is proper Lithuanian comfort food. One or two of these pork stuffed potato pancakes are usually enough to make a full meal. And once you taste them, it’s easy to see why this traditional dish has remained popular for generations.
Equipment
- Fine Potato Grater* see notes
- Large Frying Pan
Ingredients
For Potato Mixture:
- 800 g potatoes peeled
- ½ yellow onion
- 1 egg medium
- 2 heaped tablespoon all-purpose flour
- salt to taste
For Pork Filling:
- 300 g ground pork
- ½ yellow onion finely chopped
- 1 clove of garlic minced
- salt and black pepper to taste
Extra:
- neutral oil for frying
Serve with:
- sour cream
- farmer's cheese dip
- cottage cheese sauce
Instructions
- Sautee chopped onion in a pan with a little oil until soft and lightly browned. Add the minced garlic for the last minute of cooking. Allow to cool slightly.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground pork, sauteed onion and garlic and season with salt and black pepper.
- Divide the mixture into 9 portions and form meatballs. Flatten each on the palm of your hand and arrange them on a plate for later.
- Grate the raw peeled potatoes and half of an onion finely. Alternatively, blend them into a puree in a powerful blender.
- Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl. Holding a spoon on the surface of the potato mixture, remove excess liquid. The amount will depend on how watery your potatoes are, but keep going until the liquid doesn't flow into the spoon any more.
- Add the eggs, flour and season with salt. Mix everything until combined.
- Heat about ⅛ of an inch (3mm) of oil in a non-stick large frying pan.
- When the oil is hot, spoon 2 tablespoon of potato mixture per pancake into the pan. Top with the ground pork patty, pressing down lightly. Then add another 2 tablespoon of potato mixture on top and spread with the spoon to coat the meat patty, so it's sealed in.
- Fry the pancakes for 8-10 minutes on each side over medium heat. If your pancakes are exceptionally thick, you may cover the pan with a lid after the base has browned, and then again after flipping and browning.
- Repeat with the rest of the pancake mixtures. You may keep the pancakes warm in a low preheated oven in a single layer on a baking sheet.
- Serve with sour cream, cottage or farmer's cheese sauce.