Happy Hanukkah! Today is the first day of Hanukkah, as I’m sure you are all aware, so I wanted to celebrate with some classic comfort food for the holiday: latkes! I had never made them prior to this, so I was a little intimidated by them, if you can imagine that. It’s only potatoes and onions (or in my case, shallots), but frying things always makes me a little nervous. I’m always worried that the thing I am attempting to fry will turn out soggy, burned, or tasteless. I only fry things every so often, but each time I do, my fears are put to rest pretty quickly; I just have to get in the kitchen and start cooking. I’m sure a lot of you feel the same way about frying or other aspects of cooking. It’s hard to put your fears aside and just go for it, even when it’s something as simple as latkes. Yes, latkes are insanely easy to make, require very few ingredients, and are absolutely delicious. These latkes in particular have a lovely flavor due to the savory shallots that I used in place of an onion, but if you’ve only got an onion on hand, they will still be fantastic. What’s not to love about fried potatoes? I just prefer the richer flavor of shallots and I highly recommend picking some up to try in this recipe (as well as many others in place of a regular ol’ onion). After letting these tasty little potato pancakes fry for a few minutes and dry on a towel, I could barely keep Kramer away from the kitchen, he was so excited to sample a few. We ate these along with a little dollop of homemade applesauce (a recipe which you will see next week), as both of us are suckers for the sweet-and-salty combination. Latkes are wonderful with a number of accompaniments, though, not just applesauce. You can eat them with sour cream, horseradish, lox, with eggs, or inside of a sandwich, as Kramer did (we had leftover brisket sandwiches which he ingeniously stuffed a latke or two inside of). Even if you don’t celebrate the holiday, latkes are an insanely simple treat to make for any occasion, especially if picky eaters are involved (or someone who cannot eat eggs, as these are egg-free latkes).
Your ingredients.
Peel your potatoes.
Grate your potatoes, either with a grater or a mandolin (I used a mandolin that I got for my birthday as one of my gifts from my lovely husband). Squeeze as much water out of them as possible with paper towels. I let mine sit in the fridge for a few hours, covered in paper towels, to dry out a bit more, but if you don’t have the time for that, it’s not completely necessary.
Dice your shallots.
Toss the potatoes and shallots together, then toss with salt, pepper, and cornstarch. Let sit for a few minutes so that the mixture sticks together better.
Heat a thin layer of oil in a large skillet over high heat. When the oil is hot, drop spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the oil, and press down slightly with the back of your spoon or a spatula. It might look like they are not staying together at first, but they will in a few seconds.
After a minute and a half or so, flip the latkes with tongs or a spatula. Press down again with the back of a spoon or your spatula and fry for another minute or two, until golden and crisp on both sides.
Lay the cooked latkes down on some paper towels to absorb the oil for 2 minutes or so, then serve and enjoy!
I highly recommend eating these with a dollop of applesauce…which I will have a recipe for very soon!
- 3 large potatoes (I used about 5 small potatoes), peeled and grated
- 1 large shallot (or half an onion), minced
- 3-4 teaspoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- vegetable or canola oil, for frying
- Peel your potatoes, and grate them with a cheese grater or a mandolin. Squeeze them with paper towels or a clean cloth to get out as much water as possible. If you have time, lay them out on top of paper towels on a baking sheet and top with paper towels, then place in the fridge for 1-2 hours. If you don't have time for that, though, it isn't completely necessary. Just try to get out as much water as possible.
- When you are ready to cook your latkes, toss the grated potatoes in a bowl with the shallots, cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Let sit for a few minutes so that it sticks together a bit better. While it sits, heat a thin layer (3-4 tablespoons, or more, depending on how large your skillet it) of oil in a large skillet over high heat.
- When the oil is hot, drop in spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the oil and press down with the back of your spoon or a spatula. I did 3-4 latkes per batch. Fry for a minute or two on one side, then flip with a spatula or tongs and press down on them again with the back of a spoon or a spatula. Fry for another minute or two, until golden and crispy on both sides. Lay the cooked latkes out on a baking sheet lined with paper towels to absorb the oil for 1-2 minutes, then serve and enjoy. Makes 10-12 latkes.
Happy Hanukkah! I love Latke! I’ve never made them ,but I love eating them! Thanks for sharing another graet recipe!
Tina: You should give ’em a try, they’re easier than I thought they were to make!
I just love all of your recipes. Thanks so much. Happy Hanukkah!
Mary: You’re quite welcome! Thank you for stopping by and Happy Hanukkah to you!
This goyim loves latkes! Hope you have a wonderful Hanukkah!
Shelley: So do we!
I can not wait to make latkes tonight!! Happy Hanukkah!
Angela: Happy Hanukkah to you, too!
yes yes yes!!! I was looking for a simple latke recipe for tonight. Thank you =) Happy first night!!
Samantha: I’m glad to be of service! Have a great Hanukkah!
They look perfect, but I think I’d prefer to top them with a dollop of sour cream.
Michelle: Thanks! They’re great with so many different toppings!
We have something very similar in Sweden, called Rårakor, only they’re bigger and sometimes you add an egg. Then there’s the more advanced version which includes flour and milk as well, called Raggmunk. Very tasty with bacon and lingonberry jam.
Helena: I read about those when I was reading about the history of latkes – very interesting! I’ll have to give them a go some time soon.
Sydney, Happy Hanukkah! These latkes looks fabulous…haven’t had those for a while
Juliana: Thank you very much! I hadn’t had them in years, either!
I love latkes! I remember a parent made them for us in elementary school and we had them with applesauce. I mean come on, I love apples sauce and I love hash browns, and latkes are like hashbrown’s sexy older brother!
Jen: They really are!
Happy Hanukkah, Sydney and thanks for sharing a great Jewish “soul food” recipe
Gorgeous latkes! They’re so great, aren’t they? I’ve made a new acquantance with egg allergies, so I might need to try out your recipe.
Happy Hanukkah!
Dana: Happy Hanukkah to you, too!
I’ve never had latkes and your recipe makes it seem so simple. Looks like I’ll have to treat myself to a batch soon.
Potato Chops: I hope that you do!
When I make latkes, I squeeze out the moisture with a potato ricer. It’s really fast and does a great job of squeezing the moisture out (also use it to squeeze spinach for spinach pies). I got the idea from here: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/crispy_hash_browns/
I need to invest in a potato ricer!
I just made these this morning and ate them along side a fried egg. YUMMY! Thanks for the awesome recipe.
At first my potato pancakes weren’t turning out very crispy and I realized after each batch I had to wait for a minute or so in order to allow the oil to reheat. After the adjustment each latke was fried to crispy perfection!
Oh man, I need to make these with a fried egg this weekend – you’ve got me in the mood now!
[…] promised you an applesauce recipe last week when I posted my latkes recipe, so this is me delivering on my promise. If you can believe it, I had never made my own applesauce […]