Latkes Food

BASIC LATKES

Steps:

• Scrub the potatoes clean, then coarsely grate (skin and all). Peel and finely slice the onion (if using).
• Place in the middle of a clean tea towel and wring out the liquid, then transfer to a large bowl.
• Add the flour and crack in the eggs, season with sea salt and black pepper, then mix well to combine.
• Place a large frying pan on a medium heat with enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan.
• Shape small handfuls of the potato mixture (roughly the same size as a golf balls) into latkes, flattening gently, then carefully add to the pan - you may need to work in batches.
• Fry for 1½ to 2 minutes on each side, or until golden and crisp, then drain on kitchen paper.
• Pick the herbs and scatter into the pan with the remaining oil. Fry for a few seconds until crisp, then remove to the kitchen paper before sprinkling over the hot latkes.

CLASSIC POTATO LATKES

Steps:

• Before you begin making the latkes, place your wire cooling rack close to the area where you will be frying the latkes. Place a layer of paper towels below the cooling rack to catch excess oil. Cut the potatoes into large chunks and shred using a hand grater or food processor shredding attachment with large holes (large shreds). I really recommend using the food processor, it saves a ton of time and will help you avoid tears when grating the onion.
• Place grated potato into a bowl and immediately cover with cold water.
• Meanwhile, grate the onion using the grater or food processor attachment with fine holes (small shreds).
• Drain the potato shreds in a colander. Rinse and dry the bowl used to soak the shreds and set aside.
• Place drained potato shreds and grated onion in the center of a clean tea towel or multiple layers of cheesecloth.
• Wrap the shreds up in the cloth, twisting the cloth to secure the bundle, and squeeze firmly to remove excess liquid from the shreds.
• Pour potato and onion into the clean dry bowl. Stir the shreds with a fork to make sure the grated onion is evenly mixed throughout the potato shreds.
• In a skillet, add oil to reach a depth of 1/8 inch. If using schmaltz, add 1/4 cup to the oil. The schmaltz will add more savory flavor to the latkes. Heat slowly over medium to about 365 degrees F. While oil is heating, use the fork to stir the matzo meal, beaten eggs, potato starch, salt and pepper into the potato and onion shreds. Add salt and pepper to taste; I add about 1 1/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. You can sprinkle on more salt to taste after cooking, if desired. Take care to make sure the egg and seasonings are fully mixed throughout the potato shreds.
• Scoop up 3 tbsp of the potato mixture and shape into a tightly compacted disk.Place the disk carefully into the hot oil. Latkes can break apart at this point, they're very delicate. If you can get them into the hot oil in one piece, chances are they will stick together - frying them is like the "glue" that holds them together. It takes a gentle touch, and it may take you some practice to get the "feel" for it.The oil should sizzle, but not pop when the latke hits it; if the oil jumps wildly or smokes, it is too hot. If it only bubbles weakly, the oil is not hot enough. Use the first latke to test the oil temperature, and don't fry a whole batch until the temperature is right.
• Continue shaping the latkes in this way, using 3 tablespoons of potato mixture for each latke. Fry in batches of 4-5 latkes at a time (no more than that - don't crowd the pan) for 2-3 minutes per side until brown and crispy.
• Remove the latkes from the pan using a metal spatula and place them on the wire cooling rack to drain.I recommend serving latkes fresh within 10 minutes of frying them, if your cooking schedule permits. If you need to make them ahead, fry them 2 hours or less before serving. You can also freeze them if you're not serving them right away.
• To Reheat Latkes: Place them on an ungreased, unlined cookie sheet. To reheat from room temperature, place in a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes (7 if using a convection oven), until heated through, just prior to serving. From frozen, it can take 15-25 minutes to reheat. Sprinkle with more salt, if desired, and serve latkes with applesauce and/or sour cream (or dairy free sour cream).

POTATO LATKES

Steps:

• Coarsely grate potatoes and onion; squeeze mixture to remove as much liquid as possible. Place in a bowl; add green onions, egg, salt and pepper. , In a cast-iron or electric skillet, heat 1/8 in. of oil to 375°. Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls into hot oil. Flatten to form patties. Fry until golden brown; turn and cook the other side. Drain on paper towels. If desired, serve with toppings.

LATKES (POTATO PANCAKES)

Steps:

• Wash and peel the potatoes.
• Grate the potatoes with a grater or food processor.
• (You can grate them into a bowl of salted water to keep them from discoloring. Otherwise they discolor about as fast as you can grate them, although it doesn't hurt anything if you use them right away). Drain off all liquid, and squeeze the excess liquid out by hand.
• (Do this even if you don't soak them in the salted water.) Beat the eggs and mix with the grated potatoes and other ingredients, except the oil.
• Heat about 1/2 inch of oil in a skillet over medium high heat until very hot.
• Drop potato mixture by heaping tablespoons into oil (about 4 at a time).
• Use a pancake turner to flatten them out.
• Fry to golden brown on both sides (about 3 minutes per side).
• Drain on paper towels.
• Serve topped with applesauce or sour cream.

OUR FAVORITE LATKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250°F. Set racks in upper and lower thirds of oven. Place wire cooling racks in the rimmed baking sheets and place in the oven.
• Using a food processor with a grating insert, grate the potatoes and then the onions, transferring grated vegetables to a large bowl when the bowl of the food processor is filled. Alternately, use a box grater. Working in batches, place the potatoes and onions in a clean dishtowel and thoroughly wring out the excess liquid over the sink, then transfer the potato-onion mixture to a large bowl. The more liquid you remove, the crispier your latkes will be, so take your time and use several dish towels if necessary. Reserve the potato-onion mixture.
• In another large bowl, whisk together the matzo meal, salt, and pepper. Add the eggs and whisk to combine. Add the potato-onion mixture and mix well.
• In a large skillet over medium heat, melt equal parts schmaltz and oil (or oil only if omitting the schmaltz) until a scant 1/4-inch depth of fat is reached. Drop 2 tablespoons of latke mixture into the hot fat, spacing them 2 inches apart. Flatten latkes slightly using a spatula and cook, turning once, until crisp, golden brown, and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
• Transfer latkes to wire racks and season with salt; return to the oven to keep warm; season with salt. As you remove latkes from the pan, replace them with fresh spoonfuls of potato mixture to maintain oil temperature. Add additional schmaltz and/or oil around the edge of the pan as needed to maintain a scant 1/4-inch depth of fat.
• Keep latkes warm in oven and serve hot with applesauce or sour cream.

POTATO LATKES

Steps:

• Peel the potatoes and grate them on a box grater. Wrap the grated potatoes in a kitchen towel and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Combine the potatoes in a bowl with the egg, flour, salt and pepper. Mix well.
• Melt the clarified butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Place a tablespoon of the potato mixture into the sizzling butter and cook for 2 minutes. Turn the pancakes over and cook for another 2 minutes, or until crisp on the outside and golden brown. Serve the pancakes hot from the skillet.

POTATO LATKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250°F.
• Peel potatoes and coarsely grate by hand, transferring to a large bowl of cold water as grated. Soak potatoes 1 to 2 minutes after last batch is added to water, then drain well in a colander.
• Spread grated potatoes and onion on a kitchen towel and roll up jelly-roll style. Twist towel tightly to wring out as much liquid as possible. Transfer potato mixture to a bowl and stir in egg and salt.
• Heat 1/4 cup oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Working in batches of 4 latkes, spoon 2 tablespoons potato mixture per latke into skillet, spreading into 3-inch rounds with a fork. Reduce heat to moderate and cook until undersides are browned, about 5 minutes. Turn latkes over and cook until undersides are browned, about 5 minutes more. Transfer to paper towels to drain and season with salt. Add more oil to skillet as needed. Keep latkes warm on a wire rack set in a shallow baking pan in oven.

CLASSIC POTATO LATKES

Steps:

• Using a food processor with a coarse grating disc, grate the potatoes and onion. Transfer the mixture to a clean dishtowel and squeeze and wring out as much of the liquid as possible.
• Working quickly, transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the eggs, flour, salt, baking powder and pepper, and mix until the flour is absorbed.
• In a medium heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat, pour in about 1/4 inch of the oil. Once the oil is hot (a drop of batter placed in the pan should sizzle), use a heaping tablespoon to drop the batter into the hot pan, cooking in batches. Use a spatula to flatten and shape the drops into discs. When the edges of the latkes are brown and crispy, about 5 minutes, flip. Cook until the second side is deeply browned, about another 5 minutes. Transfer the latkes to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and sprinkle with salt while still warm. Repeat with the remaining batter.

CLASSIC POTATO LATKES

Steps:

• Coarsley grate the potatoes and onion into a large bowl, or use a food processor with a coarse grating blade. Leave the mixture to rest for about 15 mins so the liquid releases from the onions and potatoes. Carefully drain off the liquid for about 30 mins until the mixture is dry, then put in a cheese cloth and squeeze out the remaining liquid.
• Add the eggs, flour, 1 tsp sea salt and pepper, and mix well. Pour the oil into the pan so that it is 2-3cm deep. Set over a medium heat for a few minutes until it ripples.
• Carefully spoon in the mixture to the size you want - 2 tbsp for large latkes or 1 tbsp for small. Fry them in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan, and cook on each side until browned for 2 mins. Remove to a plate lined with kitchen paper, then season with a sprinkling of salt. Serve with the soured cream and smoked salmon, finished with a sprinkling of chives, or just apple sauce - both are traditional.

POTATO LATKES I

Steps:

• Place the potatoes in a cheesecloth and wring, extracting as much moisture as possible.
• In a medium bowl stir the potatoes, onion, eggs, flour and salt together.
• In a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until hot. Place large spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the hot oil, pressing down on them to form 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick patties. Brown on one side, turn and brown on the other. Let drain on paper towels. Serve hot!

TRADITIONAL HANUKKAH POTATO LATKES

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Line a platter or plate with paper towels and set aside.
• Peel the potatoes. Place them in a bowl and add enough cold water to cover them, so they won't turn brown. When ready to prepare the latkes, drain the potatoes.
• Place potatoes and onions in a food processor fitted with a knife blade (also known as the s-blade). Pulse until smooth. Drain the mixture well.
• Pour the potato mixture into a large bowl. Add the beaten eggs, salt, and pepper, and mix well.
• Add enough flour so that the mixture holds together.
• Pour the oil into a large, deep frying pan for shallow frying. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
• Carefully drop 1/4 cup of the potato mixture into the hot oil. Flatten the pancake slightly so the center will cook. Repeat with additional batter, taking care not to crowd the pan.
• Fry for several minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through.
• Transfer to the paper towel-lined platter to drain, and continue frying the remaining latke batter in batches. Serve immediately with applesauce or sour cream if desired.

OVEN-BAKED LATKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350ºF.
• Wash and dry the potatoes, do not peel. Using the large side of a box grater, grate the russet and sweet potato. Grate the onion. Transfer to a colander and press firmly with the palm of your hand to remove excess moisture. Toss and press again.
• Transfer potato mixture into a large mixing bowl. In a small bowl, mix together the baking powder, salt and flour. Add the egg and the flour to the large mixing bowl; toss to coat.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray or oil. Drop 3 tablespoons of latke mixture onto the baking sheet and shape each one into a 3-inch wide and ¼-inch thick pancake. Continue with remaining mixture. Leave 1-inch between each latke.
• Transfer baking sheet to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Flip, increase oven temperature to 425ºF and continue to bake until latkes are a deep golden colour, about 10 minutes more.
• Serve latkes fresh from the oven or room temperature with applesauce or sour cream.

POTATO LATKES

Steps:

• In a food processor grate the potatoes. Line a sieve with cheesecloth and transfer potatoes to the sieve. Set sieve over a bowl, twist cheesecloth into a pouch, squeezing out some moisture. Let mixture drain for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, pour off liquid from the bowl but leave the white potato starch that settles in the bottom of the bowl.
• To that starch add shallots, eggs, flour, 1-1/2 teaspoons of salt and freshly ground pepper. Return drained potatoes to this mixture and toss to combine.
• Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line a baking pan with paper towels. When you are ready to eat, in a large skillet heat 1/4 inch of oil over medium high heat until hot. Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of potato mixture and cook for 3 to 4 minutes a side; latkes should be golden and crisp on both sides. Eat right away or keep warm in oven. Serve with applesauce or sour cream or cottage cheese mixed with sour cream.

LATKES

Steps:

• To the grated potatoes, add 1 grated onion, 2 lightly beaten eggs and 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs (or matzo meal); substitute neutral oil for butter. (Be liberal with the oil.)
• Spoon the mixture into the oil to form pancakes; fry until brown and crisp on both sides.
• Serve with sour cream and applesauce.

LATKES

Steps:

• Push the potatoes through the fine grater disc of the food processor.
• Remove and drain in a sieve, pushing well to get out as much liquid as you can.
• Fit the double-bladed knife to the processor and put in the onion, eggs, salt, pepper and 2 tbsp flour.
• Process briefly, add the grated potatoes and give another pulse or two until the mixture is pulpy but not puréed.
• Add more flour if it's at all runny as opposed to just a sticky, thick mess.
• Fry the latkes in lumps of about 1 tbsp each in a heavy frying pan with hot oil.
• The oil should be about 1 cm deep and it should take 3-5 minutes a side or even less.
• Flatten them slightly when you turn them over.
• If making ahead, at this point you can spread the latkes out on a baking sheet and let cool.
• Keep overnight in the fridge or freeze and when you are ready to eat them cook in a 200 C oven.
• It will take 5-7 minutes if they're from the fridge or a bit longer if they're frozen.
• When ready to serve, top with a little smoked salmon and a dollop of creme fraiche and a sprig of dill.