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| Name: | Latkes | Contributor: | Shasta Willson |
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| Description: | Classic Jewish potato pancakes | Posted: | 2003-12-20 |
| Key words: | potato, matzo, ethnic | Category: | Side Dishes |
| ID: | 415 | Updated: | 2005-11-28 08:12:02 |
| Ingredients: | 4 russet potatoes
1 medium-large onion 3 eggs 3/4 c Matzo meal salt and pepper olive oil for frying |
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| Preparation: | Grate the potatoes (skin on) to make long shreds. Place the pile in a clean cloth and wring out until no more liquid drips out. Grate the onion over the dry potato shreds. It will mostly squish - that's fine. Try not to grate your knuckle. (OW!)
Put it all in a bowl with the matzo, eggs, and about 1 tsp salt and some pepper and mix it together. (If your knuckles aren't bleeding, by hand is easiest.) Heat some oil in a heavy pan (I used cast iron) and when a few shreds tossed in sizzle, make small patties (about the size of a normal cookie) and fry on each side until brown. Makes about 20 latkes. Enough for 1 ... uh.. a few people. |
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| Notes: | You can make ahead and then heat in a 400 oven until crisp for convenience. Temple does this every year for the Channukah fair, and it works fine.
Matzo: In a pinch you could probably use crushed saltines, and leave out the extra salt. Flour, however, it a totally different thing. Eat with apple sauce and/or sour cream, or if you're a half goy cretin like me, with ketchup. ;) Fry on medium heat, so they don't burn before they cook. If they get brown too fast, a hot oven can be used to finish them off. (A warm oven is good for holding them while you finish frying, regardless.) When you put the latke into the pan, use the tips of your fingers to pat it down fairly flat, but sort of dimpled. Not just smooshed. Strands at the edges brown nicely, too, so don't form it into 'patties' in your hands. To keep fat down (ha!), pat each one into the (cast iron or nonstick!) pan, then drip a capful of oil (I use olive) around them so it seeps under them. When you flip them, another small capful. (I figure about 2 tsp oil for 4 latkes.) |
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