Potato Pancakes with Soured Cream and Sturgeon Caviar

Golden and crisp, topped with cool soured cream, fine sturgeon caviar and a little chive: a single potato pancake becomes a dish for a special occasion. The mild flavour of the potato allows the caviar to shine, while the soured cream adds a fresh, creamy note.

Serve each guest one generous potato pancake, freshly plated. Choose your favourite topping from our black caviar selection.

Recipe at a glance

• Serves: 8
• Makes: 8 large potato pancakes, one per person
• Preparation time: about 25 minutes
• Cooking time: about 40 minutes using two frying pans
• Total time: about 65 minutes
• Difficulty: easy

Ingredients

• 1kg floury potatoes, such as Maris Piper or King Edward
• 2 medium eggs
• 4 tbsp plain flour
• 1 tsp fine salt
• a little freshly ground black pepper
• rapeseed or vegetable oil, or clarified butter, for frying
• 300g thick full-fat soured cream
• 100g sturgeon caviar
• 2–3 tbsp finely snipped chives

Method

1. Peel and finely grate the potatoes. Working in batches, wrap the mixture in a clean tea towel and squeeze firmly to remove as much liquid as possible. This helps the pancakes develop a crisp crust.

2. Combine the drained potato with the eggs, flour, salt and a little pepper. Mix briefly, then cook the mixture without leaving it to stand.

3. Heat a little oil or clarified butter in each of two large frying pans over a medium heat. Add roughly one-eighth of the mixture for each pancake and spread it into a thin round about 16–18cm across.

4. Fry for about 4–5 minutes on each side, until cooked through and golden brown. Adjust the heat if necessary so the centre has time to cook before the outside becomes too dark.

5. Transfer the cooked pancakes to a wire rack to drain. While you finish the remaining batches, you can keep them on a rack in a low oven at about 90°C.

6. Place one pancake on each plate and allow it to cool briefly. Dot with small spoonfuls of soured cream, then add the chilled caviar between them. Scatter over the chives and serve at once.

Which caviar should you choose?

Osietra caviar brings gentle, nutty notes to the mild potato. Siberian sturgeon caviar offers a more pronounced savoury finish. Both work beautifully with the cool soured cream. For more on the varieties, see our guide to caviar types.

Keep the caviar chilled until you are ready to plate, and add it only once the pancakes are warm rather than piping hot. Our guide to serving caviar has more advice on temperature and presentation.

How to keep the pancakes crisp

Squeeze the grated potatoes thoroughly, spread each pancake fairly thinly and avoid stacking the cooked pancakes. A wire rack lets steam escape and helps preserve the crust.

Add the soured cream and caviar just before the plates go to the table. That final touch gives every guest the contrast of crisp potato, cool cream and delicate caviar.