A Gazillion Latke Recipes!

Hannukah is here! One of the traditional recipes for this Holiday is latkes. Below are many recipes and variations on the traditional Latke Recipe. Enjoy and Chag Sameach!

POTATO LATKES AND ONION
Recipes by Chef Hershel from Aish.com

6 potatoes
1 onion
4 eggs
3 tbsps. matza meal
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. baking powder

Grate by hand potatoes and onion. Add eggs and then dry ingredients. Fry in hot oil. Replace 2 of the potatoes with zucchini for lighter pancakes.

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LATKES (POTATO PANCAKES) (from The Flavor of Jerusalem)

A favorite eaten at Chanukah. Each cook has her infallible recipe, but we liked this version, which we found to be especially light.

3 large potatoes
3 tbsps. milk
1 egg
1/2 tsp. baking powder
salt and pepper to taste
cooking oil

If the skins of the potatoes are thin and unblemished, do not peel the potatoes but scrub them well. Otherwise, peel them; then grate 1 potato on the large holes of a grater and the other two on the medium holes. Beat in the milk, egg and baking powder. Season with salt and pepper; blend well, If there is a large amount of liquid in the mixture, drain off some of it. Heat a scant ½ inch of oil in a large skillet until it is very hot but not smoking. Drop the batter by large spoonfuls, flatten then slightly. Turn them once. When they are golden brown on the bottom side, cook them several minutes longer and drain them on paper towels. (The latkes will have crisp edges.)

Serve hot with sour cream or applesauce.

Makes 3-4 servings.

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NANA’S LATKES (from the New York Times)

2 lbs. Idaho potatoes
2 lbs. Yukon potatoes
5 eggs, beaten
1 cup flour
salt
vegetable oil for frying
sour cream
apple sauce

Peel potatoes, and keep in cold water until you are ready to grate them.

Grate the potatoes coarsely by hand (or with a Cuisinart using first the shredding blade then the blending blade). The mixture should be slighly lumpy and not too blended. Add the beaten eggs. Mix in up to 1 cup of flour. Add a little salt. The batter should be fairly liquid and not too thick.

Heat about a half-inch of vegetable oil in a frying pan. When the oil is very hot, use a soup spoon as a measure to put in small amounts of batter in the oil. Frying the pancakes on one side, then the other, until they have turned brown on both sides and are crispy around the edges.

Drain the pancakes on paper towels that have been placed on a platter atop a saucepan of simmering hot water or keep warm in the oven.

Makes about 80 3-inch latkes.

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(The following 3 recipes are from The Settlement Cookbook)

SOUR CREAM POTATO PANCAKES

4 large potatoes or 2 cups raw, grated potatoes
1/2 cup sour cream or 1/2 cup hot milk
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs, separated

Grate the potatoes, place in a colander, set over a bowl and drain. When the starch has settled in the bottom of the bowl, discard top liquid. Place drained potatoes in a mixing bowl, add starch, cream or hot milk, and salt. Beat yolks well; add to potato mixture; fold in the stiffly beaten whites. Drop by spoonfuls on a hot, well-greased skillet. Brown slowly on both sides. Serve with apple sauce.

Makes 4 servings.

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POTATO PANCAKES

4 large potatoes or 2 cups raw grated potatoes
2 eggs
1/8 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsps. salt
1 tbsp. flour, bread crumbs or matza meal
dash of pepper

Peel potatoes, grate, drain. Beat eggs well and mix with the rest of the ingredients. Drop by spoonfuls on a hot, well-greased skillet. Brown on both sides. Serve with applesauce.

Makes 4 servings.

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BAKED POTATO PANCAKES

Mix as above. Heat a generous amount of fat in a skillet, add potato batter; bake in a hot oven, 400ºF, for 25 minutes.

The recipes below are by Cooking Maven Tamar Ansch

Potato-Beet latkes

1 small onion, pureed
2 eggs
3 potatoes, peeled and shredded
2 medium sized beets, cooked, drained and shredded
1/2 cup ground walnuts
1/2 cup flour or potato flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

In a food processor fitted with the sharp “S” blade, puree the onions until liquidy. Add the eggs to the pureeing onions, one at a time. Turn off the processor and change the blade to the shredder blade. Put the potatoes and beets through the shredder. Pour all contents into a large bowl. Add the walnuts, flour, salt and pepper and mix well.

Heat some olive or canola oil in a non-stick skillet. Using a large spoon or ladle, start frying your “latkes”. Spoon portions that will be approximately 2 or 3 inches in diameter and allow them to brown nicely on the first side. Flip them over and continue to fry on the second side until they are nice and crispy on the second side. Remove from pan onto plates lined with paper towels to drain off some of the excess oil. Serve immediately with sour cream, cream cheese, or applesauce (or all three!) on the side.

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Cheese Latkes

1 cup any kind of American cream cheese OR 1 container (250 grams) 5% Israeli white cheese
1/2 cup cottage cheese OR 1 container Israeli leben
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups white flour or a half-half mixture with whole wheat and white flours
2 tsp. baking powder
1 packet vanilla sugar or 2 tsp. vanilla liquid
small pinch of salt

Mix together all ingredients in a bowl by hand, or, for a really smooth texture, blend them with a hand beater. Spray a heavy frying skillet with baking spray and spoon out the cheese mixture by small ladlefuls and fry on both sides until golden brown. Serve immediately. Goes great with strawberry or blueberry preserves.

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Chanukah “Light” Latkes

2 large potatoes, scrubbed and unpeeled
1 small onion
1/2 small carrot
2 egg whites
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3-4 Tbls. flour
Pinch celery seed
Scant 1/4 tsp. each curry and fennel
1/4 tsp. pepper

Grate potatoes alternately with onion and carrot in the food processor. Drain. Mix with remaining ingredients. Spray a good quality non-stick frying pan with Pam or another oil spray. Drop mixture by heaping tablespoons into hot frying pan and flatten with a fork to make the latkes thin. Fry on medium – high heat until brown. Flip over and brown the other side as well. Serve with applesauce. Yields 16-20 thin latkes.

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Latkes (Potato Pancakes) By Jamie Geller

Prep Time: 12 minutes
Cook Time: 18 to 24 minutes
Chill Time: none
Yield: 8 servings

4 medium Idaho potatoes
6 tablespoons canola oil or olive oil
3 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons matzoh meal
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon coarse black pepper
Applesauce or sour cream (optional)

1. Prepare a large bowl filled with cold water
2. Peel potatoes, and as you finish each, place in cold water to prevent browning.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
4. Cut potatoes lengthwise into halves or quarters so they fit into food processor feed tube. Process potatoes using the blade that creates thin, shoestring-like strips and transfer to a large bowl.
5. Add eggs, matzoh meal, salt and pepper and mix well.
6. Drop 6 to 8 spoonfuls of mixture into hot oil. Using the back of a spoon, pat down each latke to flatten it. Put as many as you can in the skillet without crowding. Putting them too close together will make them soggy.
7. Fry 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden and crisp around the edges; repeat procedure until finished with all the batter.
8. Blot excess oil with paper towels.
9. Serve warm with applesauce or sour cream, if desired.

Tip:
Corn meal is a great substitute for matzoh meal and will also make your latkes nice and crispy.

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SWEET POTATO LATKES with Spiced Maple Syrup

Makes 10-12
For the Latkes:
1 lb. sweet potatoes
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. each salt and baking powder
¼ cup matzah meal
pinch each: salt & white pepper
2-4 Tbsp. light olive oil for frying

For the sauce:
1 cup real maple syrup
1/2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves
salt and pepper to taste
chopped fresh coriander or mint leaves to garnish

Scrub the sweet potatoes, peel and shred on the fine side of a grater or in the food processor. Transfer to a wire-mesh strainer and squeeze to remove excess moisture. Let stand in the strainer or a colander placed over a bowl for 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with a fork and add the matzah meal, sweet potato, salt and pepper. Let stand an additional 5-10 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the sauce: In a small pan mix the ingredients for the sauce, heat over low heat and keep warm.

Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet and add a small ladleful of the batter. Flatten gently and fry on both sides till golden-brown. Check to see if you like the texture of the latke, and , add a little more matzah meal to the mixture, if desired. (Let the mixture stand 3 minutes before using).

Add more oil to the pan as necessary, and fry the remaining latkes. Place the latkes on a paper towel lined plate to absorb excess oil. Pour some of the heated sauce on individual plates and arrange three latkes on top per serving, or use a serving platter. Garnish with fresh coriander or mint. Pass the rest of the sauce around to taste. Serve with sour cream or plain yogurt if desired.
From The Essential Book of Jewish Festival Cooking, by Phyllis Glazer with Miriyam Glazer.

LIGHTENED UP POTATO LATKES

Potatoes are a nutritious food (fat-free, low in calories, a good source of Vitamin C, an excellent source of potassium, and a source of fiber) and that they stay that way if prepared in healthier ways. With this recipe, you can enjoy this holiday without feeling guilty — you’ll actually be eating two vegetables: potatoes and carrots.

Makes 4 servings.

2 1/2 cups shredded, unpeeled russet potatoes (about 1 lb.)
1/2 cup grated onion
1/3 cup peeled shredded carrot
1/3 cup flour
2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 egg + 1 egg white
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

Scrub potatoes and coarsely grate. Immediately place in a bowl of ice water to keep potatoes from discoloring; let stand for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, place the onion, carrot, flour, chives, salt, pepper and eggs in a medium bowl and stir well. Drain the potatoes and squeeze out moisture; stir into egg mixture. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large non stick skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Spoon about 1/4 cup of potato mixture for each pancake into skillet, cooking 4 at a time. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side, flattening with the back of a spatula and cooking until golden brown and crisp on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining oil and potatoes. Serve immediately with chunky applesauce and low-fat sour cream.

OLIVE LATKES

Recalling both the miracle of the olive oil and the olive-pressing season in Israel, these scrumptious olive latkes are a new-fangled way to enjoy a latke.

Makes about 8
2 cups finely chopped pitted green or black olives in brine, drained (or use half and half)
½ cup olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 Tbsp. chopped garlic
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cumin
2 eggs, beaten
1-2 Tbsp. water (optional)

Chop the olives finely or process in the food processor. Transfer chopped olives to a strainer and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Heat ¼ cup the oil and saute the onion and garlic till golden. Set aside. In the meantime, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cumin. Beat in the eggs and onion and garlic mixture with a fork. Add the water if the mixture seems too thick. Heat the remaining oil and use a small cup or soup ladle to form 3-4 small latkes each time. Fry on both sides till golden. Serve with thick yogurt or sour cream. From The Essential Book of Jewish Festival Cooking, by Phyllis Glazer with Miriyam Glazer.