Potato latkes are the one of most beloved dishes of the Jewish culinary repertoire. But these small, delicious, golden fried pancakes hold a long history that starts in biblical times and ends today.
Read all about it here, or just right to the recipe below. I wouldn’t blame you…
Classic potato latkes
Course: Appetizers, Breakfast, HanukkahCuisine: Ashkenazi, JewishDifficulty: easy40
latkes30
minutesIf you’re frying the latkes right after you mix all the ingredients, you don’t need to peel the potatoes (you can if you want to!), just wash them well. The skin actually adds another layer of flavor to the latkes.
You can try to fry latkes in schmaltz, as was done originally in Europe (most likely goose schmaltz.) Schmaltz (rendered chicken fat) is available in the freezers of kosher supermarkets and some supermarket chains.
INGREDIENTS
2 lbs. gold or russet potatoes, either peeled or just scrubbed well (see note above)
1 lb. yellow onion (2 medium onions,) peeled
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
2 teaspoons table salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Corn or canola oil or olive oil for frying (or schmaltz, see note above)
8 oz. sour cream, for serving (if you’re not using schmaltz)
¼ cup chopped chive
¼ cup salmon caviar, for serving (optional)
DIRECTIONS
- Grate potatoes on a coarse grater. Put in a large bowl. Grate onions on a coarse grater, squeeze out the liquid and add to the potatoes.
- Add flour, baking powder, eggs, salt and pepper to the mixture and mix well.
- Line a couple of baking sheets with double layer of paper towels.
- Heat ⅛ inch of schmaltz/oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, drop spoonfuls of potato mixture into skillet. Flatten the latkes and fry until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Add more oil as needed. Transfer to baking sheets. Serve immediately, with a dollop of sour cream, plenty of chopped chive and a little of the salmon caviar, if using.
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