There are at least two major debates when it comes to making the ultimate Potato Latkes. One- shred the potatoes by hand or in a processor. I grew up with hand shredded potatoes and have happily switched over to using a processor. My hands are much happier and there is no loss in flavor or presentation. Two- serve the Potato Latkes with applesauce or sour cream. When I grew up sour cream was never an option. This could have been because we always had latkes with pot roast so we couldn’t have dairy sour cream with it. Personally, I don’t eat sour cream so it works for me. I also like latkes with cranberry sauce or onion marmalade. Let your imagination be your guide.
Our family loves potato latkes that have crispy edges with a soft center. This was such a sweet post from my daughter (Jessica Kobrin Bernstein- #peekababy )- that I had to repost it here: “These are the latkes that I grew up eating…and I still haven’t tasted any that come close!”
Prep time: 15 minutes
Potato Latkes
By Published: October 31, 2016
Yield:
- 42
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup onion peeled and minced
- 1 3/4 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 pounds russet potatoes peeled and left in a bowl of cold water
- 4 tablespoons flour/matzah meal
- 2-3 cups Vegetable Oil
Equipment
- 1 electric food processor steel knife and shredder needed
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 large skillet
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 slotted spatula
- 2 large cooling racks placed on waxed paper
Directions
- Beat eggs in mixing bowl. Add onion, salt and pepper to eggs. Mix well.
- Shred potatoes in processor. You can shred by hand, if you prefer. Place shredded potatoes in colander and press water out of them. Add potatoes to beaten eggs mixture. Sprinkle with flour and stir well.
- Pour about one half inch of oil in skillet. Heat oil over medium flame until it is very hot. Carefully, drop rounded spoonfulls of potato mixture into the hot oil. Flatten with the back of the wooden spoon. Fry latkes until the edges turn brown and than flip them to the other side and fry a few minutes longer.
- Remove cooked latkes from oil with slotted spatula and place on cooling racks so the excess oil can drip through. Serve hot with fresh applesauce.
- For advance cooking/freezing: Undercook the latkes a bit so that they don't burn when you reheat them. Arrange par-cooked or fully cooled latkes in single layers separated with waxed paper in a pan. Wrap them tightly with foil and freeze. Let latkes return to room temp before reheating in a 350° F. oven.
- Optional: Shred 2 large carrots and/or a large sweet potato and add to all or a portion of this latke mixture. They will produce a sweeter latke. Because they have more sugar in them, the latkes will have more of a tendency to stick to the pan. You have to watch them more carefully-but they are delicious!
