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These aren’t your ordinary potato pancakes. There’s a pleasant surprise inside; a buckwheat and egg filling. How wonderful; especially if you have leftover mashed potatoes! I can’t help but dream up variations for these potato pancakes.
I’m especially looking forward to making them with the meat filling from the meat pirojki recipe next time around (drool). What if I filled them with sauteed mushrooms and onions? Maybe add some cheese? The possibilities are endless!
The Mr, (Vadim), remembers having these with buckwheat from childhood. I’ve never heard of them, but it doesn’t matter; they were good!! My husband made these from start to finish; took all the photographs and documented the how-to. Pair these pancakes with a generous dollop of sour cream.
Ingredients for Potato Pancakes With Buckwheat:
2 cups of cooked buckwheat
2 boiled eggs, diced
1 raw egg
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cups all purpose flour
6 cups (about 2 lb) of mashed potatoes
1 Tbsp salt
olive or vegetable oil
How to Make Potato Pancakes:
1. Finely dice onion, place it in to a large skillet with 2 Tbsp oil and saute on med-high heat until golden.
2. Add 2 boiled, diced eggs along with 2 cups of cooked buckwheat. Mix it well and remove from the stove. Feel free to add some salt if desired. It should be warm, not hot. This is your filling.
3. In a mixing bowl combine 6 cups (2 lbs) of mashed potatoes with 1 raw egg and mix it in. Add 2 cups of flour and mix well. Your mixture should not have lumps of flour.
4. Use an ice cream scoop to get even portions of dough. Scoop out balls of dough and flatten them into patties (keep your hands floured, to prevent the dough from sticking).
5. Place 1 tbsp of buckwheat filling in the center of each patty, fold patty to close and seal the edges with your fingers. Mold it into the shape of a pancake. Try to flatten the sides for more even cooking.
6. Preheat 1 or 2 skillets, fill them with enough oil to cover the bottom. Cook pancakes until golden brown on each side over medium heat (about 4-6 minutes per side). If Your pancakes are browning too quickly, turn down the heat.
Serve warm with sour cream.
Stuffed Potato Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups of cooked buckwheat
- 2 boiled eggs, diced
- 1 raw egg
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 6 cups about 2 lb of mashed potatoes
- 1 tbsp salt
- olive or vegetable oil
Instructions
- Finely dice onion, place it in to a large skillet with 2 tbsp oil and saute on med-high heat until golden.
- Add 2 boiled, diced eggs along with 2 cups of cooked buckwheat. Mix it well and remove from the stove. Feel free to add some salt if desired. It should be warm, not hot. This is your filling.
- In a mixing bowl combine 6 cups (2 lbs) of mashed potatoes with 1 raw egg and mix it in. Add 2 cups of flour and mix well. Your mixture should not have lumps of flour.
- Use an ice cream scoop to get even portions of dough. Scoop out balls of dough and flatten them into patties (keep your hands floured, to prevent the dough from sticking).
- Place 1 tbsp of buckwheat filling in the center of each patty, fold patty to close and seal the edges with your fingers. Mold it into the shape of a pancake. Try to flatten the sides for more even cooking.
- Preheat 1 or 2 skillets, fill them with enough oil to cover the bottom. Cook pancakes until golden brown on each side over medium heat (about 4-6 minutes per side). If Your pancakes are browning too quickly, turn down the heat.
- Serve warm with sour cream.
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
The potatoes keep falling apart! What is your secret to keeping them together?
Hi Alana, a good non-stick skillet is essential.
Hi, Alana! My name is Keith – a big fan of Natasha. In my 50 years of cooking, I have discovered that nothing beats a seasoned cast iron skillet. Potatoes are starchy (which enables the ‘stick’), heating am iron skillet on medium-high heat is a great start -do not add oil until you see the pan begin lightly smoking.
Add the oil and watch for it to become agitated. Now add you pancake and watch it go. It will not only sear the pancake, but it will stay together and brown nicely.
BTW, I would never try to undermine Natasha, I just found this method foolproof.
Clean your iron pan by setting in the sink, a spot of Dawn dishwashing liquid and add boiling water. Scrub with a plastic kitchen brush, rinse. Dry the pan with a paper towel then apply a very thin coat of oil for next time.
Any way of making these without the eggs during lent?
Hello Natalie, I haven’t tried making a version of this without eggs to advise. But if you decide to give it a try let us know if that works too!
My grandparents moved to Canada from Poland and were of German descent so the food on their table was this wonderful mix of German and Polish. My grandmother made something very like this recipe but stuffed with dry curd cottage cheese, fried onion, dill and lots of black pepper mixed with a beaten egg.
Mmm that combination sounds wonderful and so homey! 🙂
Hi Natasha! Do you make mashed potatoes from scratch? What about to use a mashed potatoes mix from a box.
I do make mashed potatoes from scratch. I have a great recipe here: https://natashaskitchen.com/2012/11/20/garlic-and-chive-mashed-potatoes/ I don’t think boxed potato mix would work. It probably wouldn’t hold together well and the texture wouldn’t be as good if you made the boxed potatoes thicker. I think mashed potatoes from scratch is best for this recipe. 🙂
These were amazing! I made some today with meat.. So good!
Ooooh, what kind of meat did you stuff in there? That sounds great with meat!
I bought beef, put it through food processor, potom pozharila with lots of pepper some salt, added mushroom and carrots. After all was cooked added cheese and parsley. It was sooo delish! My husband absolutely loved it and even took some to work!=)
That’s sounds delicious, I want to make your version :). How much beef did you use?
I use a lot of meat in everything=)) So it really depends (ya vseo delau na glaz & unfortunately not really sure with proportions=( )
Natasha these are Great! I have made them but used a different filling.. I used cooked eggs, green onions, and turckey pestrami and a tea spoon of mayo.. My family loved them.. Great presentation also! thanks for the recepie..
Wow that filling sounds awesome! You are so creative!
I have been waiting for 3 months to be able to cook your food again 🙂 this pregnancy has not been nice to me when it comes to smell but it’s getting better so these pancakes are next on my list 🙂 thank you!!!
That was me exactly when I was prego. I thought I’d never love food again!
made them today, my husband loved them!!! thank for sharing
Awesome! Thanks for letting me know. I’ll tell my husband. 🙂
What can I say? Simple, creative and looks yummy! I will definitely have to give this one a try. I love buckwheat and potatoes but never tried combining them in one dish. Thanks!
Hi Natasha,
Love the recipe. Thanks so much! I can’t wait to try them this weekend!
Question for you: I found instant buckwhet (and other grains) at a Russian store. What do you think about this kind of kasha…have you ever used it?!
Thank you,
Adi
Hi Adi, I haven’t tried instant buckwheat so I don’t know how it compares.
These look Great, Taras doesnt like potatoes but I think he will def eat these once I stuff them with meat!
Yep ; try the meat piroshki mix. I’m definitely a carnivore and cant wait to try these with meat.
This looks amazingly good…never had this recipe before. I love anything with that (‘kasha’) buckwheat. This is a must try recipe. Thanks for sharing your recipe…great pics.
Iryna
Erica you are very welcome! I hope you love it!!!
Its sounds so good. I would add green onion probably. Its so nice to have supporting husband. That’s why you are so successful.
http://leascooking.blogspot.com/
Yes, green onion sounds like a nice touch. And yes, I am so thankful for my husband. He has been so supportive all throughout my nursing school (and business school); he’s one patient man 🙂
Ohhh these look so good. I have never tried buckwheat before but my husband is in LOVE with it and he is Russian. A couple things; Can you deep fry these? Do you think they will hold their shape if you do? Also what if after you make it into the “pancake” dip it in an egg wash and then give it a nice bread crumb bath? You can have a crunchy, soft, chunky bite all at once 🙂 Hmmmm my thinking wheels are now turning. Thanks for the awesome recipe Vadim!!! Keep them coming
Rosie, I shared your comment with my husband. It made him smile big! I haven’t tried to deep fry them but pretty much anything can be deep fried 🙂 I’m not sure how much oil it will absorb since I haven’t tried it. You are thinking like I am with this recipe. I keep dreaming up different variations. I’ll have to experiment with dipping in egg and bread crumbs. You will have to have fairly flat pancakes though since it might not cook through as well if it’s breaded.
Well I to shared this with my hubby and he grunted like a cave man when I told him what was in it LOL These men sure do know what they like. Gotta love them.
When I try the recipe I’ll have to play around with it and I’ll let you know. Thanks again!
Ha ha, that’s pretty funny. Hope you both love them!
Those look very appetizing!
was reading your post and remembered i saw this recipe online this week…..
http://gotovim-doma.ru/view.php?r=118-recept-Draniki-s-miasom-Kolduny
Wow that looks so interesting! Stuffed raw potato pancakes. Russian food is amazing isn’t it?
These look so good! and the potato “dough” recipe is awesome. I love buckwheat but have only had it a few times. My grandmother on my husband’s side makes halupki filled with potatoes and buckwheat. SO GOOD.
Are halupki the same thing as stuffed cabbage? If so, I’ve never tried them with a potato and buckwheat filling. That sounds great! A vegan version.
Ohhh.. amazing recipe..my kids will love them. Thank you Natasha 🙂
You’re welcome Inessa 🙂
These are also called “zrazi”. That’s how we called them back in Moldova. They remind me of my childhood, because they were served at kindergarten ) made it with meat filling.
These are great because its a small meal in itself, especially for kids. You know how they always leave something on the one plate?… While these things are most likely to be finished.
Thanks, Natasha 🙂
This is definitely a kid-friendly meal! Especially if they can dip it in something. My son really liked this with sour cream.
Hi Natasha!
The recipe looks amazing!
As fur as buckwheat, what is your buckwheat to water ratio when getting the perfect buckwheat? I don’t want it to turn out like kasha yet want them to be fully cooked.
Thanks 😉
Hi Alina, it depends on your buckwheat. The buckwheat from winco turns to mush no matter what. The buckwheat that is from the Russian store cooks just like rice. So in a pot it should be 2 cups water, 1 cup rice. I use a rice maker and the ratio is different than in a pot. In my rice maker, I do 1.5 cups water for 1 cup of buckwheat (and I rinse the buckwheat too). I’ve heard the buckwheat in the Russian store is toasted so it holds its form better.
That helps, thank you!
I’ve been thinking of getting a rice maker, so this might just be a sign to get one now.
🙂
Alina, make sure to read Irina’s comment about toasting the buckwheat yourself.
Yes – you definitely need to toast your buckwheat if you buy it in an American store! It makes a huge difference in texture and taste. If the label on the buckwheat doesn’t say “toasted,” then it isn’t. You can usually tell by the color as well – toasted buckwheat will be much darker and will have more of a brown color.
If you only have access to raw (un-toasted) buckwheat, you can toast it yourself in a dry cast iron skillet on the stove or on a rimmed baking sheet in the oven. Just be sure to stir it, especially if you’re using the stovetop method, and watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn, which can happen quickly!
Good to know! Thank you Irina! Now I can use the bag I bought from Winco 🙂
These sure look yummy! I make them too using leftover rotisserie chicken (I grind it first) and add to buckwheat with a bit of chicken broth. Its always a hit!
Oh wow the chicken with buckwheat sounds so good, plus the chicken broth to make it a bit juicier; Yumm! Thank you for the idea!