Latkes

Jewish cuisinepotatoHanukkahsweet potatobeetrootbreakfast

Ingredients

Calculation for 500 g of potatoes and 10 medium latkes

potato — 500 g (not too starchy)
onion — 1 pc (big one)
eggs — 2 pcs
flour — 3 tbsp
salt — to taste
freshly grounded black pepper
baking powder — 1/2 tsp
vegetable oil for frying

If your soul craves experimentation, replace part of the potatoes with other root vegetables! Grate them in the same way using a coarse grater.

parsnip
parsley root
celery root
sweet potato
carrot
beetroot (this will give the latkes a cheerful pink colour and a slightly sweet flavour)
turnip
fennel bulb (if you add fennel, you can continue experimenting with spices, as it imparts a slightly sweet, anise-like aroma).

Cooking method

Grate the potatoes using a coarse grater and thoroughly squeeze out the excess liquid. (Some recipes even suggest rinsing the potatoes with cold water before squeezing; we tried it and liked the result.) Finely chop the onion.

Combine the grated potatoes, chopped onion, eggs, flour, salt, black pepper, and baking powder in a bowl. The mixture should be smooth and fairly thick, with no lumps.

Heat vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. To check the temperature, drop a cube of bread into the oil—it should turn golden within 15-20 seconds. This will help prevent the latkes from absorbing too much oil.

Spoon the latke mixture into the hot oil and fry until golden on both sides. Remove from the oil and place on paper towels to absorb any excess oil.

Serve warm with various sauces. Sauce recipes can be found in the following recipe.

Download

More recipes