Placek po węgiersku

• Po węgiersku  means in a Hungarian style
• This is not so much a recipe but a way of serving two well known dishes – 
• Kartoflane placki – Polish potato pancakes and gulasz. 
• Usually the pancakes are made around 6-7cm in diameter, here each one is made the size of a breakfast plate around 18 – 20cm in diameter.
• Try and made the pancake as thin as possible ( I think mine were a bit too thick!)
• Serve with a portion of your favourite Hungarian style gulasz on top and a large dollop of soured cream and a sprinkling of sweet ground paprika.

Ingredients – Kartoflane placki

• 4 large starchy potatoes such as King Edward or Maris Piper
• 1 medium or large onion
• 1 egg or just the egg yolk
• Plain flour
• Salt & pepper
• *
• Oil for frying

Method

• Peel the potatoes then grate them using the fine size of the grater into a large bowl –  this is the part that takes time – I have tried using the coarse grate but they are not as good.

• Leave to stand for a few minutes and the water from the potatoes will rise to the surface. If the potatoes are very watery pour of some of the water. The easiest way is to tip up the bowl slightly over the sink and hold down the potatoes with the palm of your hand.

• Peel the onion and also fine grate it and add to the potatoes. This is the part that would often result in the grating of my knuckles as I tried to use every last bit of onion – I now often use some form of electrical mini-chopper to get a pulp of onion.

• Add the egg, salt & pepper.

• Add enough plain flour so that the mixture is thick.

• Heat some oil in a frying pan, a thick cast iron one is ideal.
• Place large spoonfuls of the mixture onto the hot oil and flatten it out to make a large circle.
• Fry till golden on both sides.
• It should be thin and  slightly crispy at the edges.
• Do not have the pan too hot or it will burn on the outside and be raw in the centre.
• Do not have the pan too cool or it will end up too greasy and not crispy.

To Serve

• Have ready your favourite Hungarian style gulasz – cooked and hot.
• Place a portion in the centre of the pancake.
• Add a dollop of soured cream.
• Sprinkle with sweet, ground paprika.

• Served on Meakin – Topic plates – from the late 1960s.