Zemiakové Placky

Name: Zemiakové Placky
Prep time: 9 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 27 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Slovakia
Ingredients: 1 kg Potatoes; 1 medium chopped Onion; 2 cloves minced Garlic; 4 large Egg; 4 tablespoons All purpose flour; 1 teaspoon Marjoram; To taste Salt; To taste Black Pepper; For frying Oil

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Side recipe with Slovakia flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 45 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings · 27 min total

1 kg Potatoes
1 medium chopped Onion
2 cloves minced Garlic
4 large Egg
4 tablespoons All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Marjoram
To taste Salt
To taste Black Pepper
For frying Oil

Step-by-step instructions

Prepare the Potatoes Start by peeling and finely grating the potatoes. To ensure extra crispiness, use a clean kitchen towel to squeeze out as much moisture as possible.
Mix the Ingredients In a large mixing bowl, combine the grated potatoes, chopped onion, minced garlic, eggs, flour, marjoram, salt, and black pepper. Stir well until the mixture forms a thick, consistent batter.
Heat the Oil In a large frying pan, heat a generous amount of oil over medium heat. The oil should be hot but not smoking.
Fry the Pancakes Spoon portions of the batter into the pan, flattening each into a thin pancake. Fry until golden brown and crispy on one side, then flip and cook the other side until equally golden and crispy.
Drain & Serve Transfer the cooked pancakes onto a plate lined with paper towels to remove excess oil. Serve immediately while hot, with sour cream, garlic dip, or as a side dish.

Why this works on a weeknight

Zemiakové Placky genuinely fits a 30-minute weeknight window, which is why it earned a spot in our Skillet & One-Pan collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Zemiakové Placky actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🥘 Skillet & One-Pan Side Slovakia ⚡ 30-Min Dinner