The Poles love their potatoes. Polish potatoes however are seasonal. Traditionally, potatoes have always been an important crop. To date, Poland is one of the largest producers and consumers of potatoes in Europe. It should not come as a surprise that there are loads of Polish potato food recipes that are well-loved across the country.
Potatoes in general are easily accessible, cheap, and can be stored easily for long durations. During the summer, baby potatoes are very common. In winter, larger or old/mature potatoes are eaten. These are the potatoes that have been stored post-harvest.
It is well known that potatoes are a good source of starch. They are second only to rice in their starch content and serve as the carbohydrate component in many people’s meals.
An interesting point to note is that baby potatoes, which are popular in summer, have thin skins and low starch content when compared to older potatoes. They also have higher water content. Many people attribute the richness of taste in baby potatoes to these differences.
Whether it is baby potatoes or mature potatoes, Polish potato food recipes taste awesome and are usually very easy to make. Here are a couple of recipes that you will find in almost every household at some point in time or the other.
1. Polish Potato Pancakes
One of the best Polish food items that you will find across the country is potato pancakes. Not only is it famous in Polish homes, Polish potato pancakes are popular in restaurants too. The reason why this dish is so popular is because it is a very balanced and filling meal. It is also very easy to make.
Polish potato pancakes can be made as both sweet and savory options. The best ways to eat potato pancakes is either with sour cream or with goulash.
The most popular goulash used as an accompaniment is pork goulash. The rich fatty flavor of the pork really transforms the goulash and it pairs really well with potato pancakes.
Check out my Polish potato pancake with goulash recipe for additional tips on how to make this well-loved dish.
2. Polish Potato Grey Kluski
Polish potato grey kluski got its name from the characteristic grey color that they have. Not only is this one of the top Polish potato food recipes, it is also one of the traditional recipes that became really popular in the 19th century. This was because Polish potato grey kluski is easy to make and its ingredients are cheap and easily accessible which was very important back then.
The grey color is attributed to the potato that is grated into the dough. Sometimes kluski are fried till they are black in an iron pan. Then they are called black noodles.
Making the dough is the most important part of making Polish potato grey kluski. If you haven’t tried making it yet, check out my potato grey kluski recipe before you do. I’ve included tips on how to get the consistency just right.
3. Polish Potato Cutlets
You can’t talk about the best Polish potato food without mentioning kotlety ziemniaczane or Polish potato cutlets. Traditionally these delicious cutlets were made of plain potatoes. Another version was made using herbs, onion and farmer’s cheese. In some cases, chopped bacon was also added to the mix.
The least time consuming way to make kotlety ziemniaczane is with eggs, mashed potatoes, salt and pepper. It is a remarkably fast recipe despite the fact that it does take time to shape the cutlets.
A great way to serve the kotlety is with mushroom sauce. This sauce is also pretty easy to make and I’ve included the recipe with my kotlety ziemniaczane recipe. You can also serve the kotlety with ketchup and or mayo.
4. Potato Pumpkin Kuyavian Donuts
Potato pumpkin kuyavian donuts are made of a dough of mashed potatoes and pumpkin puree. This is very different from the popular American version of donuts where the dough is made out of flour.
Potato pumpkin kuyavian are light, fluffy and taste delicious. The pumpkin puree in the mixture gives it the characteristic color and also adds a sweetness to the dough. This way the donuts are naturally sweet.
Traditionally potato pumpkin kuyavian donuts are stuffed with wild rose jam. Nowadays you will find that there are many other flavors of donuts available. You can even make these donuts at home. My potato pumpkin kuyavian donut recipe will take you through the process one step at a time.
5. Polish Potato Babka Recipe
Polish potato babka is a centuries old dish. It is also one of the Polish potato food recipes that are popular today.
Potato babka is a sweetened bread that uses freshly grated potatoes in the dough. The texture of this bread is different from the other bread you get in the market. This is largely because there is no flour in the recipe.
Since it is made with grated potatoes, bacon, and onions, this delicacy is also gluten-free! Potato babka is a hearty filling meal and relatively quick to make. If you take a look at my potato babka recipe, you will notice that the preparation time is only 15 minutes. The rest of the time is baking time.
Polish potato babka can be served alongside a salad, a stew, or with Polish mushroom sauce. You can also serve with sour cream.
6. Polish Potato Dumplings With Meat
Kartacze are Polish meat-filled potato dumplings. While they are one of the best Polish potato food recipes today, they actually originated from Lithuania.
The Polish potato dumplings are big and oval-shaped. The trick to making good dumplings is to ensure that the ratio of cooked potatoes to raw potatoes in the dough is 1:3. This gives the dough the right consistency.
The stuffing is usually made of minced meat. It is a bit tricky to form potato dumplings. If you have not mastered it yet then take a look at my Polish potato dumpling recipe where I talk about the art of forming the dumpling.
7. Polish Potato Salad
If you are looking for Polish potato food recipes that are quick and easy to make, you can’t go wrong with Polish potato salad. This salad needs an 8 minutes preparation time and a 20 minutes cooking time. To be fair, the cooking time is because the potatoes need time to boil.
My Polish potato salad recipe is really easy. All you need is boiled potatoes and seasoning. I add in pickles and chives for added flavor. The mayo and the yogurt in the salad dressing adds the final touch.
8. Polish Prazoki
Prazoki is the Polish way of making mashed potatoes. Unlike traditional mashed potatoes that you will find across the world, prazoki are shaped like dumplings. They are usually sprinkled with bacon.
The art of making prazoki is all dependent on how you cook your potatoes and mash them. If you haven’t tried making this dish before, I would suggest reading the tips in my Polish prazoki recipe first.
Usually, these dumplings are paired with the following dishes.
9. Krokiety Ruskie
Krokiety ruskie is a fusion of two different Polish recipes namely the krokiety and the pierogi ruskie.
The krokiety ruskie are basically krokiet that are stuffed with a mixture of potato and cheese. These are then rolled in pancakes and fried till they are golden brown. When you look at krokiety ruskie it will look more like a roll than a pancake because of this reason.
Children and adults both love these cheese stuffed crispy rolls. Normally the krokiety ruskie are served as appetizers at weddings. Luckily the krokiety ruskie recipe is very easy to make and can easily be made at home too!
10. Fried Potatoes With Bacon, Onion And Dill Pickle
Sometimes the best Polish potato food also happens to be the simplest. One of the top picks when it comes to potato recipes is fried potatoes with bacon, onion and dill pickle. This recipe is usually used as a side dish. Children however love it and may even make it their main course.
My recipe for fried potatoes with bacon, onion and dill pickles is a quick one. All you need is potatoes, bacon, onions and dill pickles. Frying the bacon first releases the bacon fat which then coats the other ingredients and infuses the potato with the flavor. You can even add this into a soup.
11. Polish Sausage And Potatoes Garnek Chlopski
Garnek chlopski literally translates into ‘peasant’s pot’. It is a dish that is usually consumed by farmers when they are working.
Generally garnek chlopski is made with potatoes, cabbage and sausage. The meat in garnek chlopski recipe could be bacon, ground pork, klopsiki or sausage. Some people even add the leftover vegetables from their fridge to the mix.
Garnek chlopski is a filling and tasty meal. It is relatively easy to make and is served piping hot. Some people like to consume it on its own. It also tastes great accompanied by bread.
12. Baked Chicken Drumsticks And Potatoes
Potatoes pair extremely well with chicken. This one pot baked chicken drumsticks and potatoes recipe is well loved as far as Polish potato food is concerned. The meat in this dish is soft and peels off the bone with ease. The vegetables also compliment the flavor well.
For this baked chicken drumsticks and potatoes recipe, remember to place the drumsticks on top of the vegetables. That way the juices that come out of the chicken cover the vegetables and infuse them with the meaty taste.
This dish is best served hot and is perfect if you want to make an easy but wholesome meal. You can serve the baked chicken drumsticks and potatoes on their own. Some people may also serve sides like salads and/or bread alongside it.
13. Polish Potato Soup With Sausage
Among the numerous Polish potato food that we have talked about recently, Polish potato soup is one of the items that is made frequently in most households. This is because the ingredients are available in all seasons and are very cheap. It is also easy to make and tastes really good!
My Polish potato soup recipe takes about 2 hours to make. 1 hour is involved in the preparation and 1 hour is just for cooking. Now that may seem like a long time but the slow-cooked soup turns out delicious because the different types of meat release their flavors into it. It gives the soup a very rich flavor.
The soup is a meal in itself so you really don’t need anything else at the table. If you do want to add a side, bread works well as an add-on.
14. Polish Knedle
If you haven’t tasted the Polish knedle yet, then you are really missing out. The Polish knedle are authentic potato dumplings that are famous in Poland. These little treats are usually stuffed with fruits like apricots, berries, apples and pears. People tend to use whatever fruits are in season.
Polish knedle are surprisingly fast to make considering that you need to actually shape the dumplings. In fact, the preparation time is just 15 minutes. If this isn’t something you’ve made before, I would recommend checking out my Polish knedle recipe which has all the tips you need to make great Polish potato dumplings. Once you taste these, you will know why they are one of the most popular Polish potato food.
3 Responses
Informative article, totally what I was looking for.
Your no. 5 is very confusing. It says Babka, starts to describe Babka, but ends up forgetting the sweet pastry and ends up with potato, bacon, and onion, which is actually Kugula!!
Babka in Poland can be both sweet and savory.