ISO Latke Recipe

[PanchoHambre]

I have Latke on the brain for some reason. I would like to make em and make em right.

searched DC and found some discussion but no definitive recipe.

I have only had proper latke once in my life made by my piano teacher when I was a kid... she was an awesome little old lady who lived in a big well worn turreted Victorian house and she made piles of Latke at Hanukkah... they were awesome.

So who's got a recipe...

I happen to have russet potato and sweet onion... can I use these or do I need to go shopping?

 

[JoeV]

Pie Susan is the Latke Queen. She sent me a portfolio with 48 pages of Latke recipes, with each page holding 2-3 recipes. If you have a favorite filling, she can probably put you into a recipe. Here area few of the Latke recipe titles:

Apple Latkes
Apple Cheese Latkes
Cabbage Latkes
Carrot Latkes
Cauliflower Latkes
Challah Latkes
Eggplant Latkes
Guacamole Latkes
Polenta Latkes
Potato Latkes (31 variants)
Spinach Latkes
Vegetable Latkes
Yam Latkes
Zucchini Latkes (8 variants)

I've tried a few so far, and all have been great. Personally I like the potato varieties and teh Eggplant latkes.

 

[PieSusan]

Pie Susan's Family Recipe for Latkes

Basically, my mom use to have me grate on a boxed grater an onion and several idaho potatoes. (The amount depends upon how many you need to feed) If you grate the onion first, your potatoes won't turn brown. You add as much onion as you like. She would add an egg or two depending upon how many potatoes used, salt and pepper to taste and instead of flour she always used matzoh meal to make a fairly firm batter. She would heat some vegetable oil in a skillet and drop the latkes by large spoon and flatten them a bit. When they got crispy on one side, she would flip them over with a wide spatula. This is how I do it. I make them golden on each side. Then, I drain them on paper and serve as I make them. Otherwise, they lose their crispiness; although you can keep them warm in the oven until you are all done, I find you lose some of the crispiness that everyone loves.

We also at one time grated the potatoes separately in water and then, drained well in a kitchen towel squeezing out all the water. That was not only suppose to remove the starch but also keep the potatoes from turning brown.

In a pinch, you could shred them in your food processor and then, with your s-blade chop the pototoes finely but in myhumble opinion, the texture really isn't as good as when you used a boxed grater. Remember, one of the secrets to latkes is remembering that you aren't making hash browns, you are making latkes.

This recipe did not make it into my latke book because it is a bissel of this and a shissela of that. (a little of this and a little of that). It is one of the recipes that I never measure.

My grandma use to sometimes separate the eggs and add the yolks and then beat the whites and fold them in last.

Finally, my dad liked them with sugar and my mom liked them with sour cream and applesauce.

Enjoy!

 

[PanchoHambre]

Thanks Susan... exactly what I was looking for... have to put the latke on hold this weekend due to an accidental defrosting (i will blame the cat for knocking open the freezer door) but I cut and paste and will get to it. Thanks for taking the time to write it out.

Haven't touched a piano in ages but Joy's house and that pile of latke on her counter are etched in my memory. She was one of those few totally zen awesome people you occassionaly have the privilidge to know in life.

 

[Deathbysoup]

I do something similar to PieSusan.
the recipe I use calls for matzo flour but I didn't have any on hand at the time so used regular flour mixed with bread crumbs.
Be sure to use a tea towel you d let the dog have because the potatoes I used stained the towel badly when I strained the potato shreds. They were delicious though and can be freezed and warmed up in the toaster oven or on a cookie sheet in the oven . Just separate latkes with wax paper and seal in a zip lock bag.

 

[PieSusan]

I have Latke on the brain for some reason. I would like to make em and make em right.

searched DC and found some discussion but no definitive recipe.

I have only had proper latke once in my life made by my piano teacher when I was a kid... she was an awesome little old lady who lived in a big well worn turreted Victorian house and she made piles of Latke at Hanukkah... they were awesome.

So who's got a recipe...

I happen to have russet potato and sweet onion... can I use these or do I need to go shopping?

You can use russet potatoes. I have even used yukon gold but you need a yellow onion not a sweet one.

 

[PanchoHambre]

You can use russet potatoes. I have even used yukon gold but you need a yellow onion not a sweet one.

Susan. Thank you so much for this recipe. I really appreciate it. To share a family tradition is a beautiful thing