My Favorite Latke Recipe

In this week's New York Times column I write about a selection of marvelous toppings you can serve with your favorite latke recipe at your next Hanukkah party. Just in case you don't have a favorite latke recipe, I thought I'd share mine, from my book In the Kitchen With A Good Appetite.

Don't try to make the potato batter ahead (not even grating the potatoes). It's better to actually fry the latkes ahead and keep them warm in a 200 degree oven than to have the batter sit and turn brown and get watery while it waits.I usually have everything measured out before my guests arrive, then grate, mix and fry all at once. I serve the latkes hot as soon as they are fried and they never last until the next batch. People gobble them up. After all, they are fried.

Happy frying everybody!

Brand New Heirloom Potato Latkes

Time: 30 minutes

2 large Russet potatoes (about 1 pound), scrubbed and cut lengthwise into quarters

1 large onion (8 ounces), peeled and cut into quarters

2 large eggs

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt or 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Chicken fat, duck fat, or vegetable oil, for frying

1. Using a food processor with a coarse grating disc, grate the potatoes and onion. Transfer the mixture to a clean dishtowel and squeeze and wring out as much of the liquid as possible.

2. Working quickly, transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the four, eggs, salt, baking powder, and pepper and mix until the flour is absorbed.

3. In a medium heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat, pour in about 1/4 inch of the oil. Once the oil is hot (a drop of batter placed in the pan should sizzle), use a heaping tablespoon to drop the batter into the hot pan, cooking 3 to 4 latkes at one time. Use a spatula to flatten and shape the drops into discs. When the edges of the latkes are brown and crispy, about 5 minutes, flip. Cook until the second side is deeply browned, about another 5 minutes. Transfer the latkes to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Makes 16 to 20 latkes

Note: This recipe can be doubled, tripled, etc ad infinitum.

 The above photo is courtesy of Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

Comments

[merry jennifer]

Thanks so much for posting this, Melissa! I'm loving the fact that you use a food processor for the grating of potato and onion. I was imagining the scratched knuckles I was going to get by doing it by hand and not looking forward to it. This will be the first time I've ever made - and eaten! - latkes.

[merry jennifer]

Thanks so much for posting this, Melissa! I'm loving the fact that you use a food processor for the grating of potato and onion. I was imagining the scratched knuckles I was going to get by doing it by hand and not looking forward to it. This will be the first time I've ever made - and eaten! - latkes.

[foodwanderings]

Latkes, latkes all around. Yum!! One year Trader Joe had a mango sauce I served with potato latkes. These are beautifu;! Shulie

[Andrew Ramallo]

I'm sorry Melissa but this is in regards to my 84 year old grandmother. She is a fan of your article & in many peoples opinion a hidden jewel in the NY Restaurant scene; mainly for her authentic Brittany style Crepes. She works in Times Square at the Cyber Cafe and she is hoping for you to try her famous treats before she puts up the apron early next year.

Articles Written about Her:

From Chow.com:
http://www.chow.com/digest/4767/for-hungry-web-warriors-real-french-crpes/
&
From NYPost.com:
http://www.nypost.com/p/lifestyle/food/item_gMxoAKO7gB3APqERgNK85K

[Kasey]

This is perfect! I had bookmarked your NYT article and while I've made latkes in the past, I don't have a 'favorite' per se. Excited to try this! Also, must mention that I love following you on Twitter. Always find interesting info and thought-provoking question (ie cookbooks with or without photos). For the record, I don't think you can judge a recipe by its picture (even if we do often eat with our eyes first).

[deb]

This is why I hang out here. I thought it would be impossible to teach an old (heh) latke making dog new tricks but I added some baking powder to my usual recipe (which uses a little less onion per pound of potatoes and half the egg and flour) and wow, definitely the best batch yet. I'm converted. I'm also a huge fan of laying the potatoes sideways in the FP chute to get the longest and most mop-like strands possible. I always get commments along the lines of "they must be hand-grated" but I don't know why -- it makes for thinner strands and a softer pancake. Plus, more work. Boo to that!

[Melissa]

Hi Andrew- thanks I'll take a look at those links about your grandmother!

Kasey - Thanks for the nice words, let me know if you end up trying them, would love your feedback.

Deb- I've done that with the potatoes by accident when they fall over, will have to try it on purpose, it's a terrific idea! Thanks for letting me in on your latke secrets!

[Kerrin @ MyKugelhopf]

even in the land of rösti, i always look forward to latkes during the holiday. can't wait to make the next batch this weekend with your recipe, nice and small. i absolutely love doing "make your own" ice cream sundaes and fruit crumbles with friends, so your "pick your own latke topping" is perfect for us too ! =)

[Carol Egbert]

Latkes are my favorite comfort food, the recipe that got me through two pregnancies and one of the first recipes my two year grandson helped with.

[Judson]

Should the eggs be added with the flour? Can't wait to try these.

[Cathy Palmer]

Hi: I just tried the recipe, as the holiday is passing by quickly and thought I'd better do it before it's gone, and will take the two-large russet-type potatoes worth of latkes to the office tomorrow, as promised. I did the grating by hand on a box grater, which I don't mind doing. I winced at the amount of salt recommended and put in quite a bit less and they still came out super saltly -- but delicious. I added some chopped parsley for color, which I find looks nice. I pulled out two pans, one non-stick and one wrought iron and was surprised that the non-stick worked better; was much easier to deal with; obviously needed less oil. The recipe though was great, and as I always need to bone up on recipes after not making a dish for a year or two, I was grateful to have heard the talk on KCRW, and to find the link here. Thank you.

[Cathy Palmer]

Forgot to mention how wonderful it was to squeeze the water from the potatoes through a linen towel. What a great tip!

[Melissa]

Hi Cathy - what kind of salt do you use? There is a HUGE difference between coarse kosher salt (Diamond Crystal, which is what I use) and fine kosher salt (Morton's) and table salt (very fine) The finer the salt, the saltier it tastes. So that might be why it tasted too salty to you. So glad you added less to start with so they weren't inedible.
(Also I have a huge salt tooth so I do like things on the salty side).

Anyway glad you liked the linen trick, it's great, right?

[Nicole Franzen]

yum love latkes :)