Zemiakové Placky (Potato Pancakes) #EattheWorld

I am catching up on some countries I never posted for Eat the World. This is from Slovakia.

I'll be honest: I was tempted to skip Slovakia given that it was once a single country with Czechia - yes, I am old enough to remember when it was called 'Czechoslovakia' - and I previously shared Zelňačka (Czech Sauerkraut Soup) and Kapustnica (Slovak Sauerkraut Soup) looks remarkably similar. But I decided that was cheating and found a different recipe to make.

Zemiakové Placky

What makes these unique in the set of all things potato pancakes - the addition of marjoram.

Ingredients

• 10 small to medium organic potatoes (I used red ones)

• 1/2 to 3/4 cup flour

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

• 1 teaspoon marjoram

• oil for greasing the pan

• Also needed: baking dish, potato masher, griddle, tomato sauce for serving

Procedure

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Scrub and dry potatoes. Place them in a baking dish and into the oven. Roast for an hour. You should be able to pierce them easily with a fork press into the potato with your fingers. If they aren't done, put them back into the oven and check every 5 minutes until they're done.

Place potatoes in a large mixing bowl and mash them by hand. Fold in the flour, salt, pepper, and marjoram. Let cool until you can handle the potatoes in your hand.

Heat griddle over medium heat and brush the surface with oil. Form 3/4 cup of potatoes into a patty and place on the pan.

Grill potato cutlet until nicely browned and crisp on one side, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the cake over and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes.

To serve, place the potato cake on a serving plate and top with a dollop of sour cream. Serve immediately.

That's a wrap for Slovakian offering.