Potato Latkes

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Potato Latkes

My mom has always taken pride in her potato latkes and when we used to live in Venice Beach I remember how she would make latkes for our entire neighborhood! There’s just something about latkes that makes you salivate, maybe it’s the combination of apple sauce or even the sour cream depending on whether you prefer savory or sweet. In any event, I too have inherited the latkes bug and I have been making them in the traditional way but also adding little flavors here and there to make them a bit different. They’re all fantastic!

You’ll need:

Makes 25-30 latkes

10 shredded Russet potatoes

1 grated onion

4 eggs

2 heaped tbsp of all-purpose flour

1 ½ tsp salt

½ cup vegetable oil

 

How to:

Begin by peeling all ten potatoes and placing them in a bowl of water. The next step is to shred the potatoes by using a food processor or by working hard with a grater. It’s very important that you extract as much moisture from the potatoes as possible by either using a strainer or a cheese cloth. Once the excess liquid has been strained, shred the onion and mix it in with the potatoes. Add 4 beaten eggs, two heaping tablespoons of flour and the salt, and give it a good mix. Heat the oil in a saucepan to medium heat (not too high and not too low), place a bit of your mixture in the saucepan and if it begins to fry nicely and not burn immediately, you are ready to make your latkes. I like to use a medium sized serving spoon because I then get a nicely formed and good sized latke. Using the palm of your hand give the latke a pat to get rid of more liquid and then place the latke in the oil, pat it again with the back of the spoon and fry each side until it browns, for approximately 1 ½ - 2 minutes per side.

Serve your latkes with a side of apple sauce or sour cream.

Also, I sometimes add a tablespoon of chicken soup mix, mushroom, or even onion soup mix to the potato mixture. Another flavor change is the addition of a teaspoon of cumin; not everyone’s favorite but I tend to like it especially because it reminds me of the potato fries that I ate with my falafel sandwich in Israel.

Sometimes I like my potato latkes made with a combination of sweet potatoes and Russet potatoes. In that case I just substitute half of the potatoes for sweet potatoes and the result is yummy!

 

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