Latkes (Potato Pancakes) Recipe
Adapted from Marlene Sorosky
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Leslie Jonath showed us the right way to make latkes in this CHOW video; here’s the recipe she uses, adapted from Marlene Sorosky’s version in Fast & Festive Meals for the Jewish Holidays.
This dish was featured as part of our Hanukkah Recipes photo gallery.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons hot tap water
- 1 vitamin C tablet, crushed into a powder
- 2 1/2 pounds peeled russet potatoes
- 1 peeled yellow onion
- 2 tablespoons matzo meal
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- Applesauce and/or sour cream, for serving (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place the water and vitamin C tablet in a large bowl and stir until the vitamin C is dissolved; set aside.
- Shred the potatoes through the shredding blade of a food processor. Remove the shredded potatoes and fit the food processor with the blade attachment. Working in batches, return the potatoes to the food processor and pulse until they are the size of rice grains. Add the potatoes to the vitamin C mixture and stir to combine.
- Shred and pulse the onion in the food processor using the same method as with the potatoes. Add to the bowl of potato mixture along with the matzo meal, eggs, measured salt, and baking powder and stir until incorporated.
- Pour 1/4 to 1/2 inch of the oil into a large frying pan and heat over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot enough to fry (you can check by sticking a wooden utensil into the oil and seeing if bubbles form around the edges), use a large spoon to drop 3 to 4 mounds of the potato mixture (about 2 generous tablespoons each) into the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan. Flatten the latkes slightly with the back of the spoon.
- Fry until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove the latkes to paper towels to drain and season with additional salt. Repeat with the remaining batter. When you reach the end of the batter, pat the mixture with a paper towel to remove any excess liquid before frying. Serve with applesauce and/or sour cream, if desired.
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Use the small grating blade of the food processor for half the potatoes and the regular grating blade for the other half. Put some ascorbic acid powder in the food processor when grating. Squeeze out excess liquid from the potates by using a kitchen hand towel. Add another 1/2 tsp of ascorbic acid powder. Let the grated union drain in a bowl with paper towels in the bottom. Grate some okra to help the mixture stick together. Don't need baking powder. Use flower instead of matzoh meal. Make the pancakes thin (1/4 inch). They will be crisp. Drain on paper bags and transfer to 200 degree oven to keep warm (use cookie cooling grates placed on the regular oven grates).
can these be made ahead? maybe kept warm in the oven? will they turn gray? i have 12 coming for dinner the first night of Hanukkah, oi vey! and my sister requested latkes, so how could i say no!
If you chop the onion in the food processor (with the chopping blade) before you add the previously shredded potatoes, there is no need to add the ascorbic acid (vitamin C or "Fruitfresh"). The sulfur in the onions will keep the potatoes from turning brown. True.
I used a large, screened strainer over a bowl and squeezed down the potato/onion mixture with a wooden spoon or spatula. No need to make this more messy or complicated than need be. Do save the potato starch solids at the bottom of the bowl from the cloudy water/liquid - that is Important.
Another recipe on Chow by Stephanie Rosenbaum, virtually the same, eliminates the baking powder but separates the eggs, beating the whites until stiff and folding them in last. Granted, this may seem like it complicates things, but to each his own - add baking powder or beat the whites separately - your choice.
By combining elements of both recipes I made the BEST potato pancakes I have ever made (and I've made a few).
Maybe, because... I actually fried them in a wonderfully fat-seasoned iron skillet (at the optimal temp) in schmalz/schmaltz - that's rendered chicken fat, people.
Absolutely sublime - NOT greasy.
If you're going for the best taste - you have to have the right amt. of fat.
If you'd be satisfied with a distant relation - "lightly film" a nonstick skillet or spray the pan with "pam".
what does vitamin c do for them
To avoid greasiness, be sure to keep your oil at the right temp. too hot, burnt; not hot enough, greasy. to find the proper temperature, toss a potato strand into the oil. if it sizzles, that's good. if it sizzles, crisps and turns brown quickly, that's too hot. no sizzle? raise your flame.
I have my own recipefor this dish ...however I did try this one...and it is almost as good....I like to try recipes to compare with the ones I have been using. Every now and then you get a nice surprise.
Made these with some alterations this morning. First, I had no Vitamin C so I just used lemon juice. My potatoes still turned pink but that doesn't bother me at all. It also left no tell tale lemon taste. Instead of processing all the shredded potato, I only processed half because I like crunchy potato things. They were very tasty, especially with applesauce. My only problem is they were incredibly greasy, almost unpleasantly so. I used about a 1/2 in of oil, maybe cut it down to 1/4 in? Any tips to avoid the greasiness? Also, I think I'm going to try these with all the potatoes shredded. Will report back.
FYI, she adds the powdered vitamin C tablet with a bit of water to keep the potatoes from turning brown. You can see the short video of her putting together the latkes - together with the reasons for the unusual steps - here: http://www.chow.com/stories/11461
There's a great tip in Cook's Illiustrated that I've used very successfully.Shread all the potatoes with the disk, but only process 1/2 of the shredded potatoes with the blade, then combine them. The shredded pieces get really crisp, and the processed potatoes give you a creamy inside. It's a nice combination.
Shredding the potatoes (Russets) or onions with a 2 mm shredding blade on a Kitchen-Aid processor produced latkes that were as close to the hand-grated ones I grew up on as I've ever had with no mushiness (and no bloody knuckles, either). We also use baking powder and squeeze out excess liquid. The latkes come out crisp and golden on the outside, pleasingly kugel-like on the inside.
Potato pancakes are a staple of Eastern European cookery. The name is of Slavic origin. I don't like to use baking powder.
I also grate my Red Potatoes by hand not Russets. Using a food processor makes the potatoes too mushy and without that nice crunch.
I have been potato pancakes all my life, especially for Friday lunches as a child. Always have onions and abit of garlic too. I use some breadcrumbs if the mixture is too watery.
I've seen a recipie that gives you the option of adding baking powder if you prefer them fluffier, or omitting it for crispier pancakes. 1/4 t. isn't all that much, though I prefer mine crispy.
When I 1st saw the bit about Vitamin C tablet I honestly thought it was just an brillliant way to TAKE CARE of a HANGOVER & a great SNACK ALL IN ONE !! I AM serious, but now I've read a few comments it does make sense
I watched the video that accompanies this recipe and tried it tonight. After 30 years of making latkes with mixed results, these were probably the best I have ever made. The best part of it was it is so easy -- I usually squeeze out the water, which is time-consuming and messy. The vitamin C tablet worked like a charm -- no discolored potatoes! The finished latkes were crisp and golden brown on the outside, light and creamy on the inside, with just the right amount of onion flavor and no greasiness. I thought the baking powder was unusual, but it seems to make the interior of the latkes light and fluffy. Thank you for the great recipe and the helpful video!
I used a salad spinner to squeeze out the excess liquid. Cleaner and quicker!
I process my potatoes in batches to control the shredd. I then dump the batch in a colander and go on to next batch. The colander allows for draining of liquid. I press with back of a wooden spoon to remove as much liquid as possible. After all potatoes are processed and as much liquid has been pressed, I put the potatoes into large bowl and add rest of my ingredients.
2 important things --
I1. f you throw a chunk of onion in with the potatoes as they process, the mixture will not turn grey/black. [If you make huge batches, it might start to turn towards the last few made, so don't do more than 3 -5 lbs potatoes at once].
2. ADD the STARCH from the drained liquid back in to give the latkes a bit more body.
DebitNM
Baking powder helps things rise or give a more airy feel.
what is the baking powder for?
Click on the link "the right way to make latkes" in the introduction above and you will be directed to a video where Leslie Jonath explains the how and why of the recipe (the vitamin C is to stop browning).
vitamin c...what a trip!!! i am not sure what if any vitamins, minerals, or other assorted ooodjamaflips are in these latkes, but i just got a facebook invite to LATKAPALOOZA in nyc on the ues next week....check these killer booze & latke pairings...
* Soulfood style, fried chicken nugget over potato latke with maple syrup, paired with a crisp pilsner beer.
* Potato latke with parve creme fraich & caviar, paired with vodka.
* Maple glazed sweet potato latkes with pulled bbq brisket, paired with a smoky Islay Scotch.
* Potato latke with smoked salmon & chives, paired with a Highland Scotch.
* Deep fried plantain latke, topped with chili con carne, paired with tequila (with salt and lime, of course).
awesome!!!! I'm gonna ask the chef if he's down with the v-C
I made a test batch of latkes today. I used Arthur Schwartz' recipe, but in a slightly different order: first made the simple batter, THEN I peeled and cut the russets quickly and then right into the food processor. I lined the strainer with cheesecloth and dumped the almost pureed (emphasis on word "almost") and proceeded to do a little squeezing. It took about 5 minutes as russets are the driest potato to use. Yes, it is still messy, only slightly less so with the cheesecloth squeeze. Added potatoes to finely grated onions, beaten egg/matzo meal/ salt mix and used Arthur's GREAT suggestion to stir with a tarnished silver-plated spoon. Worked very well, no blackness or any other color but white for the potatoes. Proceeded to fry in 1/8 inch of oil as per A.S. and the result was light, not greasy (I put them on a cooling rack with paper towels under it, and it was hard for me NOT to eat the whole batch. For the complete recipe see Arthur's new-ish book on Jewish home cooking. Haven't had a bad meal yet....and I too am a little suspicious of this recipe...my latkes puffed up a bit without baking powder, which I think would make for a very odd taste. Thanks for the thoughts, Ruth.
joannabar, some people don't squeeze the liquid out and some insist the potatoes have to be squeezed as dry as possible. I personally have always made great latkes without squeezing them, so I don't see why I should go through all the fuss and mess.
I'm a little confused about the Vitamin C directions, though. It says to dissolve the tablet in a small bowl of hot water. Then it says add the potatoes to the vitamin C mixture. The vitamin C is in a small bowl. How do you fit all the ingredients in a small bowl? Is there a step missing? And with people so worried about too much water in their potatoes, should we really be adding *more* water?
I've never seen a latke recipe with baking powder. What's the rationale behind it? I'm very suspicious of this whole recipe!
The vitamin C tablet is a substitute for ascorbic acid, used to keep fruits and vegetables from turning brown. Since ascorbic acid from the health food store or pharmacy is so expensive, I have found a product under the name, "Fruit Fresh", sold during canning season in most supermarkets in the canning section. Using a C tablet never occurred to me, good idea though.
What good is a latke without onions? How bland...
the vitamin c idea, if used to protect potatoes from turning brown, is wonderful. It also seems as though you don't squeeze any moisture from said potatoes. It is the one reason I make latkes only once a year...I hate the squeezing part. I'm curious as to why you don't do it.
I imagine the Vitamin C tablet is used to keep the potatoes from turning brown, rather than for nutritional value.
I was curious about the Vitamin C as well, not a bad addition, but I squeeze lemon into the apple sauce or directly on the cakes themselves anyway. and if you're making rotkohl that week - lots of C there.
1. You don't need baking powder in latkes.
2. As for Vitamin C, I guess there's some current thinking about that as a latke ingredient, but it's new to me.
3. Latke's are MUCH better if grated by hand, not in food processor which overgrates them and results in greasy pancakes.
4. You can also make latkes quite successfully without onions.
5. If you're making a lot of latkes, you can keep them warm on a baking sheet in an oven heated to approx. 275-300 degrees.