Deruny

Deruny are grated potato fritters, pan-fried until crisp and usually served with sour cream. They are a plain, filling Ukrainian dish made from potato, onion, egg and flour, fried in a shallow layer of oil. Similar potato fritters are made across Eastern Europe under other names, such as draniki in Belarus, so the same kind of dish appears in neighbouring countries.

What it really is

Raw potatoes are grated finely, and the liquid is squeezed out so the mixture holds together. Grated onion, beaten egg and a spoonful or two of flour go in to bind it. Spoonfuls are flattened into thin cakes and fried in oil until the edges are golden and the centres are cooked through. Recipes vary: some cooks add garlic or pepper, some use more flour, and some use less egg. Potato, onion, egg and flour form the core, and sour cream is served alongside rather than stirred into the batter.

How it's served

• Hot from the pan, several to a plate, golden and crisp at the edges.
• With a bowl of sour cream on the side, or a spoonful set on each fritter.
• As a side with meat, or as a simple main with more sour cream on top.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the main ingredient as potato, and call it "grated potato fritters" so guests know the texture.
• Flag eggs and wheat in the batter, and milk from the sour cream served with them.
• Say whether the sour cream is included or charged as an extra, and whether it comes on the side or on top.
• Say what the fritters are fried in, since guests with dietary rules often ask.