Latke!


Ingredients:
  • 4 russet potatoes
  • 1 large onion
  • 1 egg
  • 1 TBSP salt
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 c. matzoh meal
  • 1 c. seltzer
  • 1 - 2 cups of canola oil


Directions:Preheat oven to 250 F. Peel potatoes and cut in half hot dog style (vertically). Peel and cut the onion into quarters. With the small shred attachment on your food processor, alternate shredding 7 of the potato halves with the 4 onion chunks (about 5 cups). Pull out any of the large potato or onion chunks and put to the side. Dump the shredded mixture into a large bowl. Place the last half of the potato and any of the larger chunks into the food processor fitted with the standard blade this time. Pulse it a few times until you get small coarse chunks. Dump into the bowl and add in the egg, salt, onion + garlic powder. Give it a good mix, breaking the yolk of the egg and incorporating everything. Then add in your matzoh meal and seltzer water. Top the mixture with saran wrap directly on the mixture. Let it sit in the refrigerator for 30 - 40 minutes. It's ok if the potatoes turn a little brown. The plastic will help prevent it from oxidizing too much and you're going to be frying it anyway so it's not noticable. Letting the mixture rest lets some of the juices pull out of the potato and you can skip the annoying towel wringing process.

In a large skillet (use a non-stick pan if you don't have a high quality stainless steel pan or  cast iron skillet), put enough oil to make about a half inch in the bottom of the pan. Heat over medium heat until the oil is hot and ready. You can test the oil by putting a little pinch of salt into the oil. When it sizzles, it's ready for latke making! In a slotted spoon, place about ac. of the potato mixture, let as much of the liquid drain away and gently plop it into the oil and then lightly pat the top to flatten it out. Cook 4 latkes at a time, you want to make sure you don't over crowd the pan. If you do, it will drop the temperature of the oil too low and they'll stick and not cook through or brown properly. Flip when the bottoms are golden brown about 5 minutes each side. I find using a pair of tongs with the spatula helps prevent splattering when you flip them. 

You may need to adjust the temperature if the latkes are browning too fast or too slow. You want them to cook long enough that the potato in the middle cooks through and the outside doesn't overcook. When the latkes are done, place them on a few layers of paper towels (about 2-3) and give them a tiny dusting of salt. You can keep them in a warm oven while the rest of the latkes cook. 

Serve with sour cream, roasted applesauce and a small sprinkling of chives or chopped parsley for a pop of color. 





0 Response to "Latke!"

Post a Comment