Mazel tov! Latkes: Crispy potato cakes for your celebration table
The eight day festival is best known for the lighting of the menorah, for dreidels and for lots of food.
Among my favorite treats at a Chanuka celebration are Latkes. (For those of us in the South, they're sort of like hash browns, y'all), served with fresh apple sauce and sour cream or Crème fraîche.
These are not your average fast food fried potato patties wrapped in waxed paper, though. They are crispier and more flavorful. They are a beautifully fried to a perfect color and texture and combined with flavors never associated with hash browns. They're hash browns at a fancy ball.
While they are traditionally served as a small, salty appetizer or even as a larger main dish fritter, I have had some friends turn them into a sweet treat with tea by sprinkling them with confectioners sugar.
So, spin the dreidel and have some latke. So delicious.
(Chanukah is Dec. 12 to 19 this year, but you can start cooking early...there's lots of food for the table.)
Mazel Tov!
Latkes
4 medium potatoes, peeled 1 small onion, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon chopped chives or green onions
2 egg whites, beaten
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
Salt and pepper, to taste
Oil for frying
- Grate the potatoes and put in a large bowl of cold water to keep them from discoloring. When you're ready, drain the potatoes well and dry them off to remove any excess moisture.
- In a medium bowl mix the chives, egg whites, flour, baking soda, and salt and pepper together. Add the potatoes to the chive mixture with a fork.
- Preheat 1/4 inch of oil in a skillet until hot (350 degrees). Drop large spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the hot oil, keeping the temperature of the oil constant. Press down on the pancakes with a fork to flatten them.
- Brown the pancakes on one side for about 5 minutes, turning once until brown on both sides and crispy on the edges. Drain and pat off the extra oil. Serve with applesauce and sour cream or Crème fraîche.
