I was so happy to get connected with a new blogging friend recently; Tori from The Shiksa in the Kitchen. Tori is a convert to Judaism and I loved reading her story; especially how her journey of faith is so intertwined with a love of the history and culture of Jewish cuisine.
By taking a journey into the heart of Jewish cuisine, I uncovered something hidden deep inside of me. I now understand that I’ve always had a Jewish spirit. I am drawn to many of the traditional aspects of Judaism — the holidays, the observance of Shabbat, the empowerment of prayer. It’s extremely comforting to know that I’ve joined a larger family and community. By becoming Jewish, I’ve acknowledged my responsibility to others, and I’ve dedicated myself to learning and growing within the faith. -Tori Avey
Although our religions may have some major doctrinal differences, at the core, I think all people of faith are much more alike than we are different. We are all bound together by a love of and faith in our Creator. I feel a commonality to those of any faith who seek Him, and I respect the commitment others have to God in whatever way they choose to worship. I think it’s especially wonderful when the Christmas and Hanukkah holidays overlap and we all celebrate the beauty of our faiths at the same time. It’s an amazing thing when you think about it! So to all of our Jewish friends out in the blogosphere, we wish you a very happy Hanukkah!
I asked Tori I’ve always wanted to make latkes, so I was thrilled when she sent me this recipe. These are basic latkes, made with few ingredients and they’re little bites of heaven. (These don’t require any flour or matzo, so they’re gluten free too!) Latkes are basically just potato pancakes, so although we’re making these in honor of Hanukkah, they would be fantastic for breakfast (think hashbrowns!) or an appetizer. I think what makes a good latke (you know, since I’m such an expert now) are the little tricks and tips, so pay attention to those. You’ll love these!
Start by peeling and shredding your potatoes. It’s important to use a fine hole cheese grater, or the fine hole attachment on your food processor to get nice thin shreds that can cook quickly.
Place the potatoes immediately in a bowl of cold water and then shred your onion with the same fine-hole grater. I grated my potatoes by hand and found that it wasn’t quite strong enough for my onion and was just basically juicing it, so I just pulsed it in my food processor instead. I knew I needed it super fine for the quick fry so I went ahead and processed it really well.
Drain your potato shreds and place both the potatoes and the onions in a tea towel or a few layers of cheese cloth. One of the tricks to good, tender latkes is to remove as much moisture as you can. So just squeeze the heck out of that towel; you’ll be surprised at how much liquid comes out.
After the moisture is squeezed out, place the potato and onion mixture back in your bowl and add the beaten eggs and salt and pepper. Tori’s recipe calls for white pepper but I was out so that’s why you see black flecks in there 🙂
These are bite-size latkes so you just need a rounded tablespoon of potato mixture. to get nice even amounts, I just used my cookie scoop.
You’ll want to grab each little ball and squeeze it again in your hand to let any extra moisture drip off again. Then just shape into a little disk and place in a pan of hot oil. You only need about 1/8 inch of oil, so this isn’t a huge deep frying adventure (if you’re the kind of person that hesitant to embark upon huge deep frying adventures).
Keeping the oil at the right temperature is another important step. If it’s too hot, the outsides will cook up and get overdone while the insides aren’t cooked. And if it’s not hot enough, the latkes will just absorb the oil and come out heavy and greasy. I made a couple of both of those mistakes before I figured out where I needed the oil. You might want to test just one at a time until you get it perfect. You need it just right so they cook up nice and crispy and golden brown on the outside and cooked and creamy on the inside.
After cooking for a few minutes on each side, place them on a cooling rack with some paper towels underneath.
You can add extra salt at this point. I sprinkled mine with coarse kosher salt and they were perfect!
Crispy and crunchy on the outside and warm and tender on the inside. I love how the onion is so fine that you’re not biting into chunks of it, the flavors just melt into each other. Serve them the traditional way for Hanukkah with apple sauce and/or sour cream or if you don’t celebrate Hanukkah, you could treat them more like a hashbrown and pair them with scrambled eggs and dipped in ketchup or salsa. Or eat them like my three year old did dipped in ranch dressing. We’re talking fried potatoes here people, can’t go wrong.
So who makes latkes? How do you like yours? I’ve seen recipes for apple-cheddar ones that I’m dying to try. I think that might be my new Hanukkah blogging tradition; a different latke every year!
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Crispy Yukon Gold Latkes {Potato Pancakes}
- Total Time: 30 minutes
Description
Little bites of potato heaven!
Ingredients
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
2 medium onions
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
peanut oil for frying
Instructions
Shred potatoes using the fine-hole side of a hand grater or food processor. Place in a bowl of cold water and set aside. Meanwhile shred onion using same fine hole grater, or pulse in food processor until very finely chopped.
Drain potato shreds and rinse and dry the bowl that was used and set aside. Place potato shreds and grated onion in the center of a tea towel or several layers of cheese cloth. Twist loose material to secure the bundle, and squeeze firmly to remove excess liquid from the shreds.
Pour peanut oil into skillet to a depth of 1/8 inch. Heat slowly over medium to about 365 degrees F. While oil is heating, use the fork to stir the beaten egg, salt, and pepper into the potato shreds. Take care to make sure the egg and seasonings are fully mixed throughout the potato shreds. Scoop up a rounded tablespoon of potato batter and squeeze it firmly in your palm over an empty dish to remove excess liquid. Shape batter into a rough disk. Place it gently into the hot oil. Use a metal spatula to gently press down on the latke to flatten it.
The oil should sizzle but not pop when the batter hits it. If the oil jumps wildly or smokes; it’s too hot. If it only bubbles weakly, the oil is not hot enough. Continue shaping the latkes, using only a rounded tablespoon for each one. Fry in batches of 5 or 6 at a time for 2-3 minutes per side until brown and crispy. Remove latkes from pan using metal spatula and place on a wire cooling rack to drain.
Latkes are best when served immediately. If you need to make them ahead, fry them 4 hours or less before serving. After letting them drain on the cooling rack, place them on an ungreased, unlined cookie sheet. Leave at room temp till ready to reheat. Place in a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes, until heated through, just prior to serving.
Questions & Reviews
Thanks for the Hanukkah shout out! As a Jew, I LOVED your proposed blog title. One tip I would give for those looking to make these is advance, is that latkes freeze beautifully between layers of parchment paper. I always make a huge batch about a week in advance of our annual Hanukkah party, and then warm them up in the oven on a cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Super easy. Love the blog–thanks for all of the cooking tips.
We are currently stationed in Germany and we eat Reibekuchen at the Christmas markets every year. Love them and can’t wait to try these at home! Thanks 🙂
I made jalepeno popper-latkes last night. Not traditional, but delicious! Jalepenos mixed in w/ the potato mixture and stuffed w/ a cheese mix (i used cream cheese and a yellowish cheese that you can’t get in the states)…. original recipe is from saveur. Thanks for the recipes!
Great post! I’m actually a convert to Christianity (Mormonism) from Judaism. I was born in Israel and moved to the States when I was five. I LOVE Hanukkah, and LOVE latkes! This is a great recipe. I just made Sweet Potato Latkes last night for the first night of Hanukkah. I’ve always made the mistake in the past of not squeezing out the moister from the potato mixture, though, so great tip!! Even though I am Mormon, my husband and I want to teach our children about their Jewish heritage. We like to celebrate all the holidays!! I love the title you wanted to give this post :). Love following your blog, too. I’m hoping someone got me your cookbook for Christmas!!
For what it’s worth, I thought your original title was hilarious! 😉 And those latkes look delish!
Would it be considered sacriligious to dip latkes in fry sauce? 😉
My daughter’s kindergarten teacher is Jewish and has been sharing a lot in class about Hanukkah. She sent home a recipe for latkes, but she didn’t have all the extra tips so I was nervous to try it without knowing exactly how they were supposed to turn out. I think I can try them now.
For more Hanukkah fun, check out this video http://youtu.be/qSJCSR4MuhU My daughter’s teacher has shown it in class a couple of times so now my very Mormon 5-year-old walks around singing it. We find it highly entertaining.
Love the Youtube link!
I just made Latkes last night (first night of Chanukkah)and we all wondered why I don’t make them year round. My recipe is very similar, but calls for 3 tablespoons of flour or matzo meal. I use Yukon Gold potatoes and have very little water after the food processor (not shredded, using blade). The flour seems to soak up any extra moisture, for those who can’t/don’t want to squeeze the liquids out.
Can any part of the recipe be made in advance? I would like to be able to put them together Christmas Eve in order to cook them up quickly Christmas morning?
I love latkes!
It would be helpful to ‘see’ the fine holes grater you used…not sure I have one ‘fine’ enough….You girls are great…and those reindeer cookies-I love them. What a wonderful idea for someone who doesn’- can’t -or has run out of time to bake……..or just to make with the kiddies/grandkids. Happy Holiday.
These look so good! Wish we had some potatoes!
I really appreciate this post. As the daughter of a Jewish man and a Luthern woman, I couldn’t agree more when you say people of faith are all essentially seeking the same things. I have always said exactly that! I have only tried to make latkes once in my life, and they were disastrous! After reading the helpful tips in this post, I am definitely going to give them another shot. When done right, latkes are divine!
I love recipes with a history, and I love cultural foods! Your recipe, Tori’s recipe, is almost exactly like mine! LOL! I think squeezing the potato-onion mixture dry is a HUGE component of the success of these! You’re right…they’re SO good!
I really cannot wait to try this.
Yummy! I will definitely try.
Mmm I love a good potato pancake. Yours sound lovely!
Yummy! I have been dying to try a latke recipe that I found, curried sweet potato latkes (http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2010/12/06/curried-sweet-potato-latkes/) that look so delicious. I would love to try these basic ones too though – they look crispy and perfect 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!
I so love your comments re: faith and respect for people of all faiths. So many Christians (particularly the political ones) lost sight of the purpose of faith as a guiding principle towards being better humans (that love one another and take care of one another). And thanks for the latke recipe with the tips! I’ve made them before, but I think they will be better this year thanks to you. 😉
no flour or matzo???
i am intrigued!
xo.
#1 These look so so SOOO good. I love potato pancakes!!
#2 Have you heard that quote “You’ve got enemies? Good. It means you stood up for something in your life”. Always remember that!!
Love you girls. Enjoy your holiday!!
Love that quote. I think I might frame it. I don’t like to have enemies, and as a result, I haven’t stood up for my beliefs enough. <3
Hey, these look great! I love potatoes that have that crispy lightly browned finish! YUM!!!!
Yum, these look delicious! And I kind of wish you were able to use your original title, it made me laugh and not offended at all as my husband is Jewish (and celebrates Christmas and Hanukkah) and we do the same. I’ll have to make some of these for him. Merry Christmas!
It’s really neat to read this. I love Israel and the Jewish people so I have always been fascinated learning anything and everything about the people and their customs. These look really good as well! Thank you for sharing. Merry CHRISTmas to you guys.
Sara, you’re torturing me. Those look sooooo good.
Cute typo at the end ~ “We’re talking friend potatoes here people, can’t go wrong.” 😉
You mean Sara didn’t mean to say “friend” potatoes? These potatoes look very friendly to me!
Hey, I don’t know about you, but I never met a fried potato that I didn’t consider a friend. haha! Thanks, I’ll fix it 😉
I’ve never met a potato of any kind that I didn’t consider a friend. They had a baked potato bar option at my high school cafeteria, and I had a baked potato every day for lunch my senior year. 😀
Ok so now I am hungry and have no chance to make these until tonight, dang it! They sound so good and easy to make.
I will cetainly try these…yum!
Wanted you to know that your really helped me score points with the in-laws by making your pear pie. It was deliously different!
Your latkes looked like they turned out so perfectly crispy!
I love your would-be blog post title, but I “get it” because we belong to the same church and I’ve read this blog enough to have a pretty good idea of your sense of humor. 🙂 I also love your comments about the similarities between people of different faiths, very profound and well stated.
That said, I have not been a fan of my mom’s potato pancakes. bleh. I’m pretty sure they’re not close to an authentic latke (sorry mom!). THESE I’m pretty sure I would enjoy as I’m a huge hash brown fan. However, I have horrendous upper arm strength. I suck at squeezing water out of stuff. LOL I will give it a good effort though! I’m excited to try these!!!