Perfect Potato Pancakes Latkes Food

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.

PERFECT POTATO PANCAKES

Steps:

• Peel and shred potatoes; place in a bowl of cold water. Line a colander with cheesecloth or paper towels. Drain potatoes into cloth and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, eggs, flour, onion, salt and pepper., In an electric skillet, heat 1/4 in. oil over medium heat. Drop batter by 1/4 cupfuls into oil, about 3 in. apart. Press lightly to flatten. Fry until golden brown, about 4 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining batter. If desired, top with maple syrup or applesauce.

PERFECT POTATO LATKES

Steps:

• In a food processor or through a salad shooter, finely grate peeled potatoes and onion. The faster the grating the less liquid that will come out.
• Add flour and mix well.
• Line a sieve with cheesecloth and transfer potatoes and onion to the sieve.
• Set sieve over a bowl, twist the cheesecloth into a pouch, and squeeze out as much moisture as you can.
• Let the mixture drain at least 15 minutes.
• After 15 minutes, pour off liquid from the bowl, but leave the white potato starch that settles on the bottom of the bowl.
• To the starch, add the eggs.
• Return drained potato-and-onion mixture and combine well.
• Return this entire mixture to the sieve and set the sieve over a bowl. Your latke mixture will continue to weep while you're cooking. This is normal, but you don't want any of this moisture; it'll turn your potatoes red.
• Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
• In a large skillet, heat 1/4 inch of oil over medium-high heat until hot.
• Take about 2 tablespoons worth of the mixture into your hands and press them together to make a thin cake.
• Pat lightly in flour.
• Drop this pressed cake into the oil and fry until brown on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side; latkes should be golden and crisp on both sides.
• Eat right away or keep warm in oven.
• Serve with apple sauce or sour cream.

LATKES (POTATO PANCAKES)

Steps:

• Shred potatoes, using coarse shredder blade of food processor. Transfer half the potatoes to a mesh sieve set over a medium bowl.
• Change food processor to steel chopping blade. Add onions to potatoes and process until coarsely chopped (about 1/8" chunks), 5-6 one-second pulses.
• Move potato-onion mixture to sieve and combine with shredded potato. Squeeze fistfuls of this mixture to remove as much liquid as possible; transfer to a dry bowl. Let remaining liquid sit in bowl until starch settles to bottom, then drain off the clear liquid, leaving the starch behind.
• Beat eggs, salt and pepper into starch, then add dry potato-onion mixture and fold together thoroughly. Add matzo meal until mixture is stiff enough to form patties.
• Pour oil into 12" saute pan until it is 1/4" deep and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Take 1/4 cup of potato mixture, press into 1/2"-thick disc and place in oil; press gently with spatula. Repeat until there are 5 latkes in pan.
• Adjust heat to keep edges of pancakes bubbling; fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Turn over and fry until golden brown all over, about 3 minutes more. Transfer to a triple layer of paper towels on a sheet pan. When oil is shimmering again, repeat. After every two batches, discard the oil and start over with fresh oil; continue this cycle until all the latkes are cooked.
• Serve hot with sour cream or applesauce. Latkes may be cooled to room temperature and held up to four hours; to reheat place on a hot cookie sheet in a 375F oven for about 10 minutes, turning once, until hot and crisp. To freeze, place in a single layer on a cookie sheet and freeze until solid, then transfer to a zip-top freezer bag; reheat in a 375F oven until hot and crisp, about 8-10 minutes per side.

POTATO PANCAKES (LATKES)

Steps:

• 1. Grate potatoes and onions together and place in a large bowl.
• 2. Squeeze most of the water from the grated mixture into the same bowl and place squeezed potato into another bowl. Reserve 2 to 3 tablespoons of the starchy water from the bottom of the first bowl and add back into the potato-onion mixture in the second bowl.
• 3. To the mixture add egg, salt and petter, lemon juice, baking powder,. Mix well.
• 4. Place a large skillet over medium high heat. Pour in oil to reach 1/4 inch. Test by dropping a small amount of the mixture into the oil. When it sizzles the oil is hot enough. Gently place a mound of the mixture by tablespoons or 1/4 cup measures into the hot oil. Flatten gently with a spatula or spoon. Cook 3 to 5 minutes depending on size, until golden and gently flip to brown the other side for another 3 to 5 minutes.
• 5. Remove crispy potato latkes to drain on paper towels set over sheets of newspaper. Serve immediately. Most like to eat latkes with sour cream or applesauce.
• makes about 20 latkes ~ can make ahead ~ can freeze.
• preparation time: 10 minutes ~ cooking time: 20 minutes using two pans.