Easy Potato Latkes

Hello and welcome! Today is the last day of Hanukkah so I thought I’d try my hand at making Latkes. Latkes are traditional Jewish Potato Pancakes, shallow-fried to a golden brown; served with sour cream and apple sauce. Fried foods like Latkes and jelly-filled doughnuts (called sufganiyot) are eaten during the eight days of Hanukkah to celebrate the miracle of the menorah oil that kept burning for eight days – instead of the single day the oil was supposed to last. Let’s make some Latkes!

I am going with Alison Roman’s Latke recipe for these Latkes. It all starts with Russet Potatoes and onions. In order to easily squeeze the moisture out of the grated potatoes and onions, I am using a two-step method, which is different than Roman’s recipe, but I feel like it was easier to start with the cheesecloth and then use my hands.

Roman emphatically recommends frying the Latkes in a 50/50 mix of chicken fat, or schmaltz, and vegetable or grapeseed oil. I keep a jar of chicken fat in the fridge, so I am going with that and grapeseed oil. But all that comes later, let’s start with the potatoes and onions.

Grate the Potatoes and the Onions

I am short and couldn’t get good leverage when I grated the potatoes and onions in a bowl; so I spread a sheet of cheesecloth (you can use a thin dish towel) on the counter top and grated the potatoes and onions right onto the cheesecloth.

Then, gather up the cheesecloth around the onions and potatoes and place the whole thing in a bowl. Season with a few pinches of Kosher salt, toss and let sit for 10 minutes. Gather up the sides of the cheesecloth again and squeeze, squeeze, squeeze out the water. When you feel like you’ve gotten a lot of the water out, set the whole thing into a dry bowl and then small handful, by small handful squeeze out more water. It will surprise how much water is still left! Place the squeezed handfuls into a separate bowl.

Once you have hand-squeezed as much liquid out as possible, add 1/4 cup plain fine breadcrumbs to the grated potatoes and onions. Toss to coat the potatoes and onions in breadcrumbs. Then add one egg and mix with your hand.

Once the egg is mixed in, if the potatoes don’t come together to form a pancake, add a second egg and mix to combine. Now your potatoes should stick together enough to be more like a pancake and less like hash browns. Season with another pinch of Kosher salt and a few cranks of fresh cracked black pepper.

Fry Station

Set up a braiser, Dutch oven or large skillet with 1/4 cup chicken fat and 1/4 cup grapeseed or vegetable oil. Set the heat to medium-high. Line a sheet tray with paper towels to catch the fried Latkes. Have your flaky finishing salt close by to top the fried latkes as they come out of the oil.

When the oil is shimmery, drop a small dollop of the Latke mixture in the oil, if it immediately begins to sizzle, the oil is ready. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the Latke mixture into the oil and gently spread it out to form a small irregular pancake. Don’t pack it down too much, you want it to be somewhat light and airy like a fritter. Depending on the size of your skillet, try for four Latkes at a time.

Fry the latkes for 3-4 minutes on each side, until both sides are deep golden brown. Transfer to the paper towel-lined sheet tray and immediately sprinkle with flaky finishing salt. Add a tablespoon more each of chicken fat and grapeseed oil if needed between batches – letting the fat get hot again if you added more.

When you’ve fried all of the Latke mixture, serve the Latkes with a dollop of sour cream on top with a sprinkling of chives. Set out a small bowl of apple sauce for dipping, if desired.

Easy Potato Latkes

Crispy, crunchy, salty with craggy edges and slightly thick centers that are creamy and soft. I love the cool, creamy sour cream, especially with the apple sauce. It’s such a wonderful combination of savory and slightly sweet flavor. Such a delicious treat!

Thank you so much for joining me today for these Easy Potato Latkes! I do hope you give these Latkes a try, they are best served right away, but I reheated the leftovers in the oven and they crisped up nicely and went really well with a poached egg for breakfast. Happy Hanukkah, friends! Take care and be well, xo Kelly

Print Recipe

Easy Potato Latkes

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Side Dish, Appetizer, Snack, Starter – Jewish

By Alison Roman – Serves: 4-6

Prep Time: 30 Minutes – Cooking Time: 25 Minutes – Total Time: ~50 Minutes

These Easy Potato Latkes are crispy, crunchy, and salty with craggy edges and slightly thick centers that are creamy and soft.

Ingredients

• 3 lbs. Russet Potatoes, peeled
• 1 lb. Onions, peeled
• Kosher salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• 1/4 cup Dried Breadcrumbs or Matzo Meal
• 1-2 Large Eggs
• Neutral Oil, such as Canola or Grapeseed
• Chicken Fat (optional, but recommended)
• Sour Cream, Apple Sauce, Chives, for topping

Instructions

1

Spread a sheet of cheesecloth (you can use a thin dish towel) on the counter top and grate the potatoes and onions (using the largest grater holes) right onto the cheesecloth.

2

Then, gather up the cheesecloth around the onions and potatoes and place the whole thing in a bowl. Season with a few pinches of Kosher salt, toss and let sit for 10 minutes.

3

Gather up the sides of the cheesecloth again and squeeze, squeeze, squeeze out the water. When you feel like you've gotten a lot of the water out, set the whole thing into a dry bowl and then small handful, by small handful squeeze out more water. Place the squeezed handfuls into a separate bowl.

4

Once you have hand-squeezed as much liquid out as possible, add 1/4 cup plain fine breadcrumbs to the grated potatoes and onions. Toss to coat the potatoes and onions in breadcrumbs. Then add one egg and mix with your hand.

5

Once the egg is mixed in, if the potatoes don't come together to form a pancake, add a second egg and mix to combine. Now your potatoes should stick together enough to be more like a pancake and less like hash browns. Season with another pinch of Kosher salt and a few cranks of fresh cracked black pepper.

6

Set up a braiser, Dutch oven or large skillet with 1/4 cup chicken fat and 1/4 cup grapeseed or vegetable oil. Set the heat to medium-high. Line a sheet tray with paper towels to catch the fried Latkes. Have your flaky finishing salt close by to top the fried latkes as they come out of the oil.

7

When the oil is shimmery, drop a small dollop of the Latke mixture in the oil, if it immediately begins to sizzle, the oil is ready. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the Latke mixture into the oil and gently spread it out to form a small irregular pancake. Don't pack it down too much, you want it to be somewhat light and airy like a fritter. Depending on the size of your skillet, try for four Latkes at a time.

8

Fry the latkes for 3-4 minutes on each side, until both sides are deep golden brown. Transfer to the paper towel-lined sheet tray and immediately sprinkle with flaky finishing salt. Add a tablespoon more each of chicken fat and grapeseed oil if needed between batches – letting the fat get hot again if you added more.

9

When you've fried all of the Latke mixture, serve the Latkes with a dollop of sour cream on top with a sprinkling of chives. Set out a small bowl of apple sauce for dipping.