Roasted Breakfast Potatoes — Babcia’s Placki Ziemniaczane, Earned One Batch at a Time

Six months since I started writing these. Half a year. I've gone from a guy who couldn't boil pasta to a guy who can make soup and grill a bratwurst and host his father for a Packers game. This is progress. It's not dramatic progress — I'm not opening a restaurant or competing on a cooking show — but it's mine and it's real. This week I worked on the winter warmer recipe. I spent three days researching styles, reading about spice additions, and nerding out over malt combinations. I want something that feels like sitting by a fire — warm, slightly sweet, with cinnamon and nutmeg but not so much that it tastes like a Christmas candle. The malt backbone needs to be big enough to carry the spices without being cloying. I've gone through four versions on paper. Marcus looked them over and said, "Version three. Trust your gut on the cinnamon amount." We brew it next month. At home, I tried something ambitious: I made Babcia's potato pancakes. Placki ziemniaczane. I've watched her make them a hundred times. Grate the potatoes, add an egg and some flour, season with salt and pepper, fry in oil until crispy. Simple. Simple for Babcia. Disastrous for me. My first batch was soggy — too much moisture in the potatoes. I didn't squeeze them out, which apparently is a crucial step that Babcia does so naturally I'd never noticed. Second batch: better, but I used too much flour so they were heavy and dense. Third batch: I squeezed the potatoes in a kitchen towel, used less flour, and got the oil really hot before frying. They were... close. Crispy on the outside, tender inside, golden brown. Not Babcia's. But recognizable as the same dish. I brought some to Sunday dinner and put them on the table next to Babcia's. She picked one up, turned it over, took a bite, and said, "You didn't squeeze the potatoes enough." I did squeeze the potatoes, Babcia. "Not enough," she said. Then she ate two more and smiled, and that smile said more than "not enough" — it said "you're getting there." Dad looked at my potato pancakes, looked at Babcia's, ate both, and said nothing. Tom Kowalski: the Switzerland of food opinions. Half a year down. I'm a brewer, a hockey player, a Sunday dinner regular, and a very amateur cook. I don't know what's coming next, but I know two things: I'll be at Babcia's on Sunday, and I'll be getting better. At cooking, at brewing, at all of it. Because that's what Kowalski men do — they show up, they work, and they get better. Even if they never say it out loud.

Babcia’s smile said more than any recipe card ever could — it said this dish is worth learning, worth getting wrong, worth trying again. So here’s exactly how I made them, squeeze-the-potatoes step and all. I’m not saying mine are as good as hers. I’m saying I’m getting there.

Babcia’s Potato Pancakes (Placki Ziemniaczane)

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 4 (about 12 pancakes)

Ingredients

• 2 lbs russet potatoes (about 4 medium), peeled
• 1 small yellow onion
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (plus more only if batter is very loose)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup neutral oil (vegetable or canola), for frying — more as needed
• Sour cream, for serving
• Fresh chives or applesauce, optional for serving

Instructions

1. Grate the potatoes and onion. Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the peeled potatoes and onion into a large bowl. Work quickly — potatoes oxidize fast.
2. Squeeze out the moisture (don’t skip this). Transfer the grated mixture in batches to a clean kitchen towel. Wring firmly over the sink until as much liquid as possible is removed. This is the step that makes or breaks the texture — squeeze harder than you think you need to.
3. Mix the batter. Place the squeezed potato mixture into a dry bowl. Add the egg, flour, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. The batter should hold together when pressed — not wet, not pasty. If it’s still loose, add flour one teaspoon at a time.
4. Heat the oil. Pour enough oil into a heavy skillet (cast iron is ideal) to coat the bottom generously — about 1/4 inch. Heat over medium-high until shimmering and hot. A drop of batter should sizzle immediately on contact.
5. Fry the pancakes. Drop heaping spoonfuls of batter into the hot oil and flatten gently with the back of the spoon into rounds about 3 to 4 inches wide. Do not crowd the pan. Fry 3 to 4 minutes per side, until deep golden brown and crispy at the edges.
6. Drain and season. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Season lightly with salt while still hot. Repeat with remaining batter, adding oil to the pan as needed and letting it return to temperature between batches.
7. Serve immediately. Potato pancakes are best the moment they come out of the pan. Serve with sour cream and chives, or alongside whatever Babcia puts on the table.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 310 | Protein: 6g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 41g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 480mg