A Jewish holiday dish of potato pancakes to celebrate Hanukkah. The oil for cooking latkes is symbolic of the oil of long-lasting flame that kept the Second Temple in ancient Israel illuminated.
The word “latke” means “patch”: the potato pancakes are usually shallow-fried grated potato, flour and egg, and seasoning, and may be garnished with a savoury topping such as sour cream or a sweet one, such as apple sauce.
Potato Latkes for Hanukkah
We used the traditional method of soaking the grated potatoes and onions in ice water for 5 minutes before wringing them out. This produces extra-crispy latkes, which are slightly more fragile, so you will need to increase the flour to ¼ cup if you do it this way. Without soaking, the latkes are denser and a little easier to manage. The recipe is for unsoaked potatoes.
Ingredients:
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
1 large onion
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Vegetable oil for frying
Preparation:
Grate potatoes and onion in a food processor with the grating blade. Place in a towel and wring out excess moisture.
Place potato-onion mixture in a bowl and add egg, flour, baking powder, and salt and pepper.
Heat a thin layer of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place 2 tablespoons potato mixture into hot oil and flatten with a fork. The latkes will be irregularly shaped. Fry until well browned on both sides and crisp around the edges, about 3 minutes per side. Don’t crowd the pan. Drain well on paper towels. Add more oil as needed.
To reheat, place latkes in a 350 F oven for 5 minutes. Makes about 30 latkes.
This recipe can be found in Lucy Waverman and Beppi Crosariol’s book The Flavour Principle available at both Amazon and Chapters.
Please share your tips on preparing this recipe or another latke recipe in the comments below. Return to the Joy to the World Holiday Wine Match.
