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I don't really have a written recipe, but my ingredients go something like this:
7 or 8 peeled potatoes
1 medium onion
Grate the above, then mix together with:
2 or 3 beaten eggs
handful of either matzoh meal *or* flour
Grate with food processor (or by hand with grater).
Drop by tablespoonful into hot oil (I use about a half-inch of canola.)
You have to use plenty of oil to get a crispy pancake.
Drain on paper towels, can keep the first batch warm in a low oven while cooking the second batch.
Not sure how many this makes---maybe 10 or 12?
Season with salt and pepper, serve with applesauce and/or sour cream.
No ketchup allowed!
This sounds like it's about what I did. I'd like to add that you want to use the small grater disc on the food processor, not the large.
The grated potatoes will start to discolor (oxidize) very quickly. They are still OK to eat but you can soak them in salt water to stop this from happening. Just be sure you dry them really really well before you cook. I rushed this step because I had so many people in the house, but those latkes still seemed to slide down their throats with tolerable ease.
Also, as with any frying, make sure your oil is hot enough before you start and you don't overcrowd the pan, because that will make them greasy and really slow the browning process.
My mother used to make Potato Pancakes with leftover mashed potatoes.
I think she threw in an egg, some bread crumbs, and fried them. (in bacon grease, I don't know, but it is possible back in the day when she didn't care about fat, etc.)
My mother used to make Potato Pancakes with leftover mashed potatoes.
I think she threw in an egg, some bread crumbs, and fried them. (in bacon grease, I don't know, but it is possible back in the day when she didn't care about fat, etc.)
We at them with ketchup.
Are these latkes?
boxtys are made with mashed potatoes..... don't know about the bacon fat... I think that is up to the chef.... but you might have had a boxty of types... Are you IRISH?????
This is the recipe I use since it's real close to what I've eaten at many Jewish deli's, these definately taste great with sour cream AND chunky apple sauce.
2 pounds baking potatoes
2 large eggs
1/2 medium-size onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 medium-size firm apple, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher (coarse) salt, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon baking powder (see Notes)
1/4 to 1/2 cup all-purpose flour or matzah meal
Peanut or canola oil, for frying
Applesauce and/or sour cream, for serving
1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1-inch cubes. To keep them white and release some of the starch, submerge them in a bowl of water while you're preparing the remaining ingredients.
2. Place the eggs in a blender. Add the onion, apple, salt, white pepper and baking powder. Drain the potatoes and squeeze them dry in paper towels. Add enough of the potatoes to fill the blender (all 2 pounds may not fit). Turn on the blender, and pushing down on the sides with a rubber spatula (careful you don't blend the spatula -- there is no rubber in this recipe), blend until the potatoes just move around. Add the remaining potatoes as you're blending, but do not overprocess or make it too smooth. The texture should resemble applesauce. (This takes about 6 seconds in my Osterizer.)
3. Transfer the batter to a large bowl and add the flour. The batter should be flowing, but not too thin.
4. Now for the real secret of my very crisp latkes: Pour enough oil into a large skillet to coat the bottom. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it is quite hot but not smoking. Use a serving spoon to scoop up the batter (about 2 tablespoons per scoop), hold the spoon about 8 inches above the pan, and spill it all at once. Splat! Remove your hand quickly so you don't burn yourself.
(Like tennis, it's all in the wrist.) The batter will splatter, forming holes ... the better to hold the sour cream or applesauce. Repeat with as many as will fit in the skillet without crowding. Cook until browned, about 1 minute. Then flip them over and cook the other side for 1 minute.
5. Drain the latkes well on paper towels, and keep them warm while you cook the remainder, adding more oil as needed.
6. Serve immediately, with applesauce and/or sour cream.
Notes: If you want to make the batter ahead, to cook later or the next day, prepare it through Step 2 (do not add the flour), and pour the mixture into a tight-fitting glass jar (do not use plastic ware). Tap the jar on the counter to release any air bubbles, cover the batter well with a thick layer of flour, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When you are ready to use it, remove and discard the flour with the black layer that has formed beneath it. Transfer the batter to a large bowl, stir in the flour, and proceed with Step 4 using fresh flour.
Makes about 3 dozen latkes.
OR: Easy Latkes
SERVES 6
This is one of the most famous of Jewish foods and a specialty of Hanukkah. The latkes are served as an appetizer, as a side dish, and even for tea with a sprinkling of confectioners' sugar. They can be marvelous if properly prepared, just before eating.
2 lbs (1 kg) potatoes
2 large eggs
Salt
Oil for frying
Peel and finely grate the potatoes. Put them straight into cold water, then drain and squeeze them as dry as you can by pressing them with your hands in a colander. This is to remove the starchy liquid, which could make the latkes soggy.
Beat the eggs lightly with salt, add to the potatoes, and stir well. Film the bottom of a frying pan with oil and heat. Take serving-spoonfuls, or as much as 1/4 cup (50 ml), of the mixture and drop into the hot oil. Flatten a little, and lower the heat so that the fritters cook through evenly. When one side is brown, turn over and brown the other. Lift out and serve very hot.
VARIATION
You may add black pepper, chopped parsley, and finely chopped onion to the egg and potato mixture.
Adding 4 tablespoons of potato flour binds the fritters into firmer, more compact cakes, easier to handle but not quite as lovely to eat.
From The Book of Jewish Food, Copyright 1996 by Claudia Roden. Reprinted here with permission from Knopf, Inc.
This is the recipe I use since it's real close to what I've eaten at many Jewish deli's, these definately taste great with sour cream AND chunky apple sauce.
2 pounds baking potatoes
2 large eggs
1/2 medium-size onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 medium-size firm apple, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher (coarse) salt, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon baking powder (see Notes)
1/4 to 1/2 cup all-purpose flour or matzah meal
Peanut or canola oil, for frying
Applesauce and/or sour cream, for serving
1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1-inch cubes. To keep them white and release some of the starch, submerge them in a bowl of water while you're preparing the remaining ingredients.
2. Place the eggs in a blender. Add the onion, apple, salt, white pepper and baking powder. Drain the potatoes and squeeze them dry in paper towels. Add enough of the potatoes to fill the blender (all 2 pounds may not fit). Turn on the blender, and pushing down on the sides with a rubber spatula (careful you don't blend the spatula -- there is no rubber in this recipe), blend until the potatoes just move around. Add the remaining potatoes as you're blending, but do not overprocess or make it too smooth. The texture should resemble applesauce. (This takes about 6 seconds in my Osterizer.)
3. Transfer the batter to a large bowl and add the flour. The batter should be flowing, but not too thin.
4. Now for the real secret of my very crisp latkes: Pour enough oil into a large skillet to coat the bottom. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it is quite hot but not smoking. Use a serving spoon to scoop up the batter (about 2 tablespoons per scoop), hold the spoon about 8 inches above the pan, and spill it all at once. Splat! Remove your hand quickly so you don't burn yourself.
(Like tennis, it's all in the wrist.) The batter will splatter, forming holes ... the better to hold the sour cream or applesauce. Repeat with as many as will fit in the skillet without crowding. Cook until browned, about 1 minute. Then flip them over and cook the other side for 1 minute.
5. Drain the latkes well on paper towels, and keep them warm while you cook the remainder, adding more oil as needed.
6. Serve immediately, with applesauce and/or sour cream.
Notes: If you want to make the batter ahead, to cook later or the next day, prepare it through Step 2 (do not add the flour), and pour the mixture into a tight-fitting glass jar (do not use plastic ware). Tap the jar on the counter to release any air bubbles, cover the batter well with a thick layer of flour, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When you are ready to use it, remove and discard the flour with the black layer that has formed beneath it. Transfer the batter to a large bowl, stir in the flour, and proceed with Step 4 using fresh flour.
Makes about 3 dozen latkes.
OR: Easy Latkes
SERVES 6
This is one of the most famous of Jewish foods and a specialty of Hanukkah. The latkes are served as an appetizer, as a side dish, and even for tea with a sprinkling of confectioners' sugar. They can be marvelous if properly prepared, just before eating.
2 lbs (1 kg) potatoes
2 large eggs
Salt
Oil for frying
Peel and finely grate the potatoes. Put them straight into cold water, then drain and squeeze them as dry as you can by pressing them with your hands in a colander. This is to remove the starchy liquid, which could make the latkes soggy.
Beat the eggs lightly with salt, add to the potatoes, and stir well. Film the bottom of a frying pan with oil and heat. Take serving-spoonfuls, or as much as 1/4 cup (50 ml), of the mixture and drop into the hot oil. Flatten a little, and lower the heat so that the fritters cook through evenly. When one side is brown, turn over and brown the other. Lift out and serve very hot.
VARIATION
You may add black pepper, chopped parsley, and finely chopped onion to the egg and potato mixture.
Adding 4 tablespoons of potato flour binds the fritters into firmer, more compact cakes, easier to handle but not quite as lovely to eat.
From The Book of Jewish Food, Copyright 1996 by Claudia Roden. Reprinted here with permission from Knopf, Inc.
That second one, the Roden recipe, is the one I used. The 1 pound of potato (1 large potato, 1 egg) batch I made to practice turned out much better than the huge batch I made for my party.
That second one, the Roden recipe, is the one I used. The 1 pound of potato (1 large potato, 1 egg) batch I made to practice turned out much better than the huge batch I made for my party.
The key to real good latkes is being sure you get the as much of the water out of the potatoes as possible which is hard with a real big batch.
I adore latkes with sour cream.
I used to make them from scratch, but I don't have a food processor, so I used a grater. Lost quite a bit of skin that way.
Now I buy them from the Kosher deli.
Funny story.
Our rabbi's wife was talking to her eldest son over the phone.
A few of us were within earshot of her conversation.
"Oye, don't bother if you have that many people over just pick up a few boxes
Of latkes at trader joes"
I went the next day to buy a few boxes, and saw many of the same ladies there buying loads of frozen latkes!!!
They weren't that bad..
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