Wait. How did it get to be December, already? Here I am, going about my business searching for new ways to dispose of leftover Thanksgiving turkey, and there it is on my calendar: Latke Week! Potato pancakes, that is. Chanukah came early this year, time to light colorful little candles and to commemorate the miracle of a little bottle of oil lasting eight days, by feasting on fried foods. Yum! I thought I’d kick things off with my favorite of them all: Potato Latkes.
Traditional Potato Latkes (Potato Pancakes)
(Makes about 12 4″ pancakes, depending on size)
Ingredients:
2 lbs. white potatoes
1 small onion (about 3 oz.)
1 large egg
1/3 cup matzo meal
2 tsp. kosher salt
Canola or peanut oil for frying
Preparation:
Grate the potatoes and onion together, either in a food processor or with a box grater. Drain off any water and place in a medium glass bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and stir by hand, using a sturdy wooden spoon.
Pour about 1/4 inch of oil into a large frying pan and heat it on high, till a couple of drops of water in the oil, pop. And I mean only a couple of drops! Otherwise, you’ll start your own Fourth of July sound effects going. Seriously.
Now, choose your size of pancake: For a larger latke, scoop up 1/4 cup of the potato mixture, and place it in the hot oil. Using your wooden spoon or a spatula, flatten out the mound to about 1/4″ thickness. If you want a smaller pancake, use 2 Tbs. of the potato mixture and flatten.
Fry each latke for about 3 minutes on each side, or until crispy and golden brown, and remove to a plate lined with paper towels. If you’re making a lot of latkes, you may have to add more oil to the pan. It shouldn’t take long for it to come back up to temperature.
Serve immediately with apple sauce, sour cream, or as we did when we were kids – a light sprinkling of sugar.
Notes:
My ninety-year old mother, bless her, still uses the fine side of a box grater to grate everything by hand. The potatoes seem to release less water that way. I gave that up years ago, though, using the shredding disc on my food processor and simply draining off the excess liquid before adding the other ingredients.
Use a glass or plastic bowl to mix the latke batter. A metal bowl will instantly make the potatoes start oxidizing and turn pink. It won’t hurt the latkes any, but they won’t be white inside. They’ll be pink. Or beige.
This recipe is easily doubled, or even tripled, if you’re cooking them up for a larger gathering. To keep the latkes hot and crispy, set your oven to 200º F, line a large baking sheet with newspaper and put one of your baking racks on top of that. After draining off each batch of latkes, put them on the rack and place the whole pan in the warm oven. They’ll keep in there for a couple of hours.
You can also make these ahead! Just cook as described, and when the cooked pancakes are completely cool, just put them in an airtight container or freezer bag(s) and chuck ’em in the freezer. To serve, heat your oven to 350º F and lay out the latkes on a baking sheet. Heat for about 15 minutes, or until hot all the way through.
By the way, I just learned a new fact about Chanukah today, by way of an e-mail I received from Jason at BlogCatalog.com. Did you know that there are 16 accepted spellings of Hanukkah in the English language? Hanukkah, Chanukah, Hanukah, Hannukah, Chanuka, Chanukkah, Channukah, Chanukka, Hanukka, Hannuka,Hannukkah, Channuka, Xanuka, Hannukka, Channukka, and Chanuqa. There is, however, only one in Hebrew:
However you spell it, Happy Chanukah! Or Hanukkah!
Elle says
Oh man–they look so good! I've always wanted to try these. With both sour cream and applesauce! Not at the same time, you know…
kat says
I'm with Elle I've always wanted to try these too.
Denise Michaels - Adventurous Foodie says
I'm not Jewish – but I love latkes. At Whole Foods market in their Deli section you can get 'em made with sweet potatoes. Okay, it's not tradtional – but mighty tasty.
foodwanderings says
Love latkes, didn't make them today. Fried sufganiyot instead. Would love to have a bite out of your latke, Happy Chanukah. Shulie
SMITH BITES says
I'm not Jewish either but a couple of years ago I tried making latkes and instantly fell in love . . . but seriously, what's not to love about fried potatoes with a dollop of sour cream . . . not a thing baby!!!
Kudos Kitchen says
I often wondered about the different spellings. Very interesting indeed. Your latkes look lovely. I can almost smell them from here and hear the crunch as you break into them with a fork. I'm drooling over here 🙂 Happy Hanukkah!
Kristen says
oh YES! Jewish or not, I love me some crispy potato latkes 🙂
Lisa says
Yum, potatoes are my choice for comfort food and these do look comforting indeed. I had no idea there were so many different spellings. By the way, I'm holding a giveaway on my blog for Orglamix Organic makeup and you're welcome to come by and enter. http://sweet-as-sugar-cookies.blogspot.com/2010/12/orglamix-organic-mineral-makeup-review.html
Jamie says
Oh yeah Hanukkah was a big surprise to so many of us, sneaking up on us early and catching us unawares (huh?). I love latkes LOVE latkes and yours have me licking the computer screen. Yeah baby! With plenty of applesauce!