Latkes or Potato Pancakes

So Chanukah is upon us again and as usual, I have to make a traditional fried food to feel I’ve done my bit. This is no hardship, mind you, I enjoy these little holiday indulgences although I confess, this recipe makes 12 nice latkes and I only got to eat 2. Nuff said, DH was a happy man and despite my pleas, snorfed them down sans sour cream or applesauce! This somewhat outraged me (what? no sour cream even?!!) and he said simply, I like them best plain. What can you do? It’s really the ultimate compliment when your food is liked au naturel.

So, let’s get on with our delightful indulgence, pretend there are no calories in the oil and swear up and down that this is our one little vice for the holdiay. (Ummm, I’m having the kids for a Chanukah party and I’m gonna make donuts, yes I am). But if you bake and don’t fry them, don’t come crying to me when it tastes blah. This must be fried and it cannot sit around for long but there are a coupla tricks I will impart to keep the potato mixture from turning dark (or horrors, green). A note. The texture of these are not those skinny shard like latkes but rather a pancake in shape and a nice thick shape – crispy on the outside and soft and luscious on the inside. Onward!

Take about 5 smallish potatoes and a nice medium/large onion and gather the rest of the ingredients while you’re at it.

This is a little more than a pound of potatoes, not a crazy big amount. Now peel the onion and quarter it and pop right into the food processor and set aside.

Take the peeled potatoes and cut in medium cubes like so:

Not too big not too small. Now I can hear you asking, why on earth do I have to cut up the potatoes if I’m gonna put them in the food processor? Legit question. Like this. If you don’t, the onion and potatoes won’t chop at the same rate and you’ll get slush. I’m gonna make you very happy cuz you are NOT gonna squeeze any liquid out of these potatoes. So, it’s critical to not overchop the onions and potatoes in the processor. I’m walking you through it, no worries. K.

Place the potato cubes on top of the quartered onion in the bowl of the processor like so:

And have your eggs and dry ingredients at the ready. In a bowl, you’ll have the flour (just 1/2 a cup), salt and baking powder whisked together. This goes fast so have it all ready as well as the oil in the pan like so:

Note the oil is quite generous and more than covers the bottom of the pan, you are not deep frying these but you are being generous. It speaks to the crispy texture and is necessary, hence the picture. K. You don’t heat the pan till the mixture is ready but leave pan on turned off burner nearly ready to roll. Okay, back to our potatoes and onion. Another note. You are pulsing the onions and potatoes together since onions help keep the potatoes from getting black so do do them together as I say. Still and all, no letting them sit around.

You are not letting the food processor run amok here. You are pulsing and stopping, pulsing and stopping. It’s critical since you don’t want slush, remember! So here are the pics for clarity.

Note they’re large pieces still. Fine. Pulse on pulse off (literally, so as not to overdo). Peek again.

Slightly smaller pieces and now add one of the eggs and pulse on and off till it looks like this.

You see the pieces are still there, a bit smaller and smoother and pulse on and off again with second egg.

You want texture so this is correct. Now you add the potatoes and onions to the ready dry mixture that you have in a bowl and mix all together till everything is completely mixed up. Do NOT worry if the texture is a bit loose, it should be. It looks like this.

If it’s a little bit liquidy that’s fine. When you scoop up some potato mixture and gently put in pan it will pour not firmly plop into the pan. That’s correct. So now heat up your oil not on high but medium. The latkes need to fry about 4 or so minutes on each side or till dark golden brown but don’t let it burn and keep an eye on the fire and don’t let the oil bubble too hard.

The oil should come up halfway up the latke. Keep an eye and after 3 or so minutes peek at the underside. If deep brown, carefully turn over and continue to cook till browned on both sides. By the way, occasionally the little devils don’t brown evenly and yes, you can turn over and rebrown so to speak till the color is right.

Aren’t those beauties? And the scent is awesome too. Good. Now as soon as both sides are that gorgeous color and properly cooked, place on paper towels on a plate and finish up all the batter till you’ve made all the latkes. Serve with sour cream and applesauce.

Latkes or Potato Pancakes

1/2 cup flour (60 grams approximately)

Scant teaspoon salt

Scant teaspoon baking powder

About 5 smallish potatoes 500 or so grams, around a pound, peeled and cut into medium chunks

1 medium/large onion, 192 grams approximately, peeled

2 large eggs

Oil for frying

Sour cream and apple sauce for serving

Yields 12 medium latkes

In a bowl large enough for all ingredients, mix the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Take a frying pan and pour in enough oil to generously cover bottom of the pan. Set aside on a burner, don’t turn on the oil yet.

Quarter onion and place in food processor with chunked potatoes. Pulse together very slowly! pulse on, pulse off till large shards result. Add the first egg and pulse on and off. Add second egg, pulse on and off, just till all looks medium finely grated. Don’t turn it into slush so go slow. Now pour mixture into dry ingredients in bowl. Mix up thoroughly till completely incorporated. Mixture will be a little loose. That’s correct. Heat the oil in the pan and turn on medium, not high. Take an ice cream scooper or a cup measure of 1/3 cup and scoop up potato mixture and pour (yes it’s loose enough to pour) into hot oil carefully, in a regular frying pan you should have room for four latkes. Fry about four minutes on each side, check the underside of the latke it should be deep brown and carefully turn to fry on other side till brown on other side as well. Place on paper towels on a plate till you use up all the batter. Serve with sour cream and applesauce.