Tonight marks the beginning of Chanukah.  In our house, this also means latkes!  Actually, these are one of my favorites...all year round.  They also get a gold star for being about one of the only foods that my entire family will eat.  While I'm admittedly not the best cook, I know I make these really well...so, I thought I'd share my recipe here. Included are also some fabulous "insider" tricks and tips (some passed down to me, others discovered after a few years on my own!). Happy Chanukah and ENJOY!
TIPS: The first, and most important: use a heavy cast-iron skillet, it must be seasoned, NOT new, to get the best results, but its the ONLY option (trust).  The next tip, don't get fancy with your potatoes, while this recipe will work for any type, the best pancakes come from plain old Idaho or Russet potatoes.  Scrub 'em up, and you can even leave the peels on...you can! Best tip: throw away your first latke...consider it a sample to test the oil heat temp. Also, halfway through the batch, plan on changing your oil.  Finally, after you fry the latkes, drain them on brown paper shopping bags, turned inside out. It keeps them crispier than any paper towels!
RECIPE:  2 lbs. potatoes
                  1 yellow onion
                  2 eggs, beaten
                  1/2 cup matzo meal
                  2 tsp. Kosher salt
                  1/2 tsp. pepper
                  vegetable oil for frying

Grate potatoes and onion in a large bowl using a box grater. Place mixture in a strainer bowl and squeeze out extra liquid. Reserve liquid. Wait 2-3 minutes, the water will separate from the starch by rising to the top and the starch will be on the bottom of the bowl. Pour water out and save the starch. Place strained potatoes in a medium to large bowl. Fold in eggs, matzo meal, salt and pepper, and the reserved potato starch. Mix well.
Heat vegetable oil over medium heat. (oil should be roughly one inch deep in pan). Form 1/4 cup mixture into pancakes using a spoon and slide into oil. Let cook 6-9 minutes or until golden on one side and then flip. Continue for 6-9 minutes on the other side. Drain and serve. Makes approx. 18.

Images via: MarthaStewart
                

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