
Potato Zrazy are a popular Ukrainian food common as a side with lunch or dinner. It is a great way to use up leftovers so you will usually have them the day after a big holiday feast.
Ukrainian potato zrazy are very different from Polish zrazy. In fact, the only similarity is the name. The Polish counterpart is a stuffed meat roulade whereas the Ukrainian version is basically a fat, rustic croquette. Sometimes you will see this dish spelt zrasy but that usually refers to the Polish or Lithuanian version, quite different than this recipe.
Difference Between Polish-Lithuanian Zrazy And Ukrainian Zrazy
So as mentioned above, the difference between these two dishes is quite extreme. In fact, the Ukrainian version using the name zrazy doesn’t actually make a lot of sense. The word is Polish and means sliced meat (which makes sense as their dish is a roulade). The dish is seared and then braised at a low temperature and served with the braising liquid as a sauce.
The traditional Ukrainian zrazy recipe uses the same word, but the dish is mashed potatoes stuffed with a filling and then fried on both sides. Potato zrazy are often served with smetana, a type of Eastern European sour cream. Whatever type you have, they are both delicious!
How To Make Potato Zrazy

To make potato zrazy you will need some mashed potatoes. You can use leftovers (which is what is commonly done) or you can make fresh mashed or whipped potatoes just for this recipe. It is important to let them cool completely before starting otherwise it can be very hard to work with.
You have to add eggs, flour, and chopped dill to the mix to make the mashed potatoes into a sort of dough. My leftover potatoes came from when I made a Veal Karpaty, a popular Ukrainian Carpathian recipe.

For the filling you can really use whatever you feel like. I decided to do a pork filling. You will need ground pork, onion, leek, and bell peppers. Feel free to sub or leave out anything you don’t care for. You’ll also want to add some salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Start by sautéing the veggies in a bit of oil until soft.

After the vegetables have softened add in the pork and spices and brown completely. If the pork has a lot of fat then you will render a bit of liquid, but it’s not a bad problem to have.

On a well floured surface stretch out a bit of the potato dough and add some meat filling to the middle. Seal up the potato dough by pinching well, and pat the zrazy into an oval or oblong sort of shape.

In a pan on medium high heat add enough oil to cover the bottom, and then just a bit more. Carefully slide in the zrazy and fry for about a minute per side. You need to do this gently so the dough doesn’t break and let the filling all out.

Serve these tasty potato zrazy with a good dollop of smetana (Eastern European sour cream) because it pretty much makes everything better. As a food, zrazy are quite heavy so I recommend treating it as a side dish and serving just one per person.
Tips & Tricks
◈ I suggest taking my flour levels as a guide, but if you feel the dough isn’t holding together then absolutely add more flour. It is important for the mashed potato to get doughy and have a bit of stretch, otherwise it will not hold together when frying.
◈ You can use any meat for the filling: beef, chicken, pork, and even buckwheat are all popular choices.
◈ If you find flipping the potato zrazy to be difficult, try using the edge of the pan to assist. I find rolling the zrazy up the edge and letting it flip mostly on its own is the best way to prevent it from breaking.
What Else Can You Stuff Into Ukrainian Zrazy?
- Mushrooms! If you want to go the meatless option, mushroom zrazy are a very popular vegetarian option that have become more popular in recent years.
- Seitan or Tempeh – For those who want to go the more vegan route, you will sometimes see seitan filled zrazy at some of the vegan cafes in the big cities. This does also mean you will need to replace the egg with another binder, but the end product can be quite tasty.
- Seafood is another choice that is less common but not unheard of. I would recommend choosing something with less water in it, like mackerel or herring. If you use canned fish or frozen shellfish make sure to squeeze out as much water as possible before wrapping, or it could leak through the potato.

Potato Zrazy
Equipment
- 1 Pan
Ingredients
- 500 grams Mashed Potatoes If you are using leftovers then adjust these measurements to whatever you have left
- 400 grams Ground Pork
- 1 Bell Pepper diced
- 1 Onion diced
- 1 Leek sliced
- 1 bunch Dill chopped
- 2 Eggs
- 5 tbsp Flour adjust as needed
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper freshly cracked
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder optional, adjust to your preference
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- In a bowl add your mashed potatoes, eggs, flour, 1/2 tsp salt, and dill and mix everything together. It is easy to do by hand, or you can use a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. Make sure the potatoes are chilled or room temperature before beginning.
- In a pan add a bit of oil and sauté the onion, bell pepper, and leek until soft. Then add the pork and cook until browned. Remove from the heat.
- Using your hands and a well floured surface, take some of the potato dough and stretch it into a disk. Add some pork filling to the center and then use your fingers to seal the dough around it. Place on a floured surface while you work on the rest of the potato zrazy
- In a pan on medium-high heat add enough oil to coat the bottom and then some. Carefully slide in the potato zrazy using a spatula. Fry for about a minute then flip to the other side.
- Serve potato zrazy with smetana or sour cream.
I was about to come in and argue that this isn’t Polish lol but I didn’t know there’s a Ukrainian version. It’s so different than ours but this looks so tasty in its own way.
Love from :PL:
Great use of leftover mashed potatoes. Great recipe!
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