History

Plendze are the Greater Poland answer to the eastern placki ziemniaczane; the dialect word reflects the German-influenced Prussian-partition vocabulary that survived in Poznań kitchens. The dish is plainer than the eastern versions, focused on the texture of the grated potato, with mushroom sauce as the canonical accompaniment. Every regional Wielkopolska room in the city lists plendze alongside pyry z gzikiem as the two everyday plates.

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Warsaw

Guided tour · 3h 30m

Warsaw: Polish Food Tour

The Polish food tour is a great way to experience a must-try cuisine of this amazing country. A professional guide will teach you all there is to...

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Common allergens: Gluten, Eggs

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 30 minTotal 45 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 1kg floury potatoes (Maris Piper or King Edward), peeled
  • 1 medium onion
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tablespoons plain flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt, black pepper
  • 200g lard (canonical) or sunflower oil for frying
  • For the mushroom sauce: 250g chestnut mushrooms, 30g dried porcini soaked 30 minutes in 200ml warm water, 1 onion finely diced, 30g butter, 200ml soured cream, salt and black pepper

Method

  1. Make the sauce first: soften the diced onion in butter over low heat for 8 minutes. Slice the mushrooms, add to the pan with the drained porcini, and cook 8 minutes until browned. Pour in the strained porcini soaking liquid and reduce by half. Stir in the soured cream, season, and keep warm.
  2. Grate the potatoes and onion finely on the smallest holes of a box grater into a sieve set over a bowl. Press to squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
  3. Let the squeezed liquid stand 2 minutes so the starch settles at the bottom of the bowl. Pour off the water and scrape the starch back into the potato pulp.
  4. Mix the potato pulp with eggs, flour, salt and pepper to a thick batter.
  5. Heat 1cm of lard in a heavy pan to 180C. Drop heaped tablespoons of batter in and flatten with the back of the spoon to 1cm thick rounds.
  6. Fry 3 to 4 minutes per side until deep golden and crisp at the edges. Lift to paper towels.
  7. Plate the plendze with a generous ladle of mushroom sauce, or with soured cream and apple sauce on the side.

Tip from the editors. Lard makes the plendze. Sunflower oil works in a pinch but the flavour is flatter and the crust less crisp.

Where to eat plendze

Plendze in Poznań

Podkoziołek ★ 3.9

$$ Greater Poland RegionalStary Rynek

Podkoziołek on Stary Rynek in Poznań is a Wielkopolska restaurant opposite the Koziołki, with handmade pierogi, plendze, czernina and golonka in a vaulted.

OrderPlendze (Greater Poland potato pancakes) with mushroom sauce.

TipTime your visit to 12:00 to catch the Koziołki, the mechanical goats above the town hall, butting heads.

Directions

Hyćka ★ 4.5

$$ Modern Polish

Srodka kitchen on Rynek Srodecki since 2014 from Sadowski couple; Wielkopolska classics: czernina, szare kluchy, namesake elderflower cordial.

Why locals goOn the Śródka side of the river, this Wielkopolska room is the city's most local regional kitchen but tourists rarely cross from Stary Rynek to find it.

TipBook by phone a day ahead and ask for the small room upstairs.

Directions

Pyra Bar ★ 4.0

$ Modern Polish

Pyra Bar on Strzelecka 13 in Poznań is the city's potato-bar canteen since 2009, with pyry z gzikiem, plendze and pyzy at sub-25 $ prices for the canonical.

TryPyry z gzikiem

TipThe lunch set with soup, main and a glass of buttermilk lands under 30 $; it is the city's best value on a regional plate.

Directions

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