Making latkes may seem easy, but I struggled to find a good recipe. Finally, after years of trying, I realized that the potatoes need to be very finely shredded until mushy to get the right consistency. Adding just a few, rather than a lot of, of additional ingredients resulted in the perfect latke.
Every year for the past 8 years I have made latkes for Hanukkah. My husband was raised Jewish and we try to incorporate the Jewish holidays in to our Christian beliefs. It’s important to us that our half-Jewish kids know about their Jewish heritage and how Judaism and Christianity intersect. Apparently, potatoes are a big part of that heritage (joking!).
After 8 years of tweaking and trying and getting just OK latkes, I have finally gotten it right! I also decided to add carrots (and you could add in zucchini, too) just up the vegetable ante.
The Perfect Latkes (or Potato Pancakes)
The perfect potato pancake! Serve with sour cream and applesauce.
Ingredients
- 4 medium potatoes (I used Yukon)
- 1 carrot
- 1 medium onion
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup oil for frying (I use grapeseed or coconut oil)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor.
- Process until mush.
- Heat oil over medium high in a large frying pan until hot.
- Using a large scoop or 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop mixture into frying pan.
- Flip pancakes over when the edges are set and fry until browned.
Latkes like you describe in your recipe can be cooked in the oven. This dramatically reduces the calories, fat content due to requiring almost no oil. If cooked in the oven they do best, lift easiest, if placed on baking parchment or a silicone baking sheet. I also do not use baking powder but do you an egg for each pound of product. I don’t know if this would still be Kosher for the holidays but it produces a nice product.
What a good idea to bake them! I’ve never tried that since I make them mostly for Hanukkah and that time of year just calls for tons of oil. I’ll have to give baking them a try.