Looking for ultra-crispy, golden-brown latkes to serve at your Hanukkah celebration this year? Your search stops here: our tried-and-true, best-ever recipe is the only one you need. Celebrating the Festival of Lights calls for eating plenty of deep-fried foods such as loukoumades and sufganiyot, but if you ask us, no celebration is truly complete with these perfect latkes. We kept things classic and simple in this recipe, making them a perfect base for any of your must-have latke additions. Set out the sour cream and applesauce, and keep reading for all of our top tips on how to perfect this classic recipe:
Latkes vs. hash browns:
While they may seem similar, latkes and hash browns are far from the same thing. Latkes incorporate eggs and a binder with the shredded potatoes, and oftentimes will include other ingredients like onion and plenty of seasonings. Hash browns are usually only made up of shredded potatoes, before being pan-fried in much less oil that latkes require.
How to make the best latkes:
— The potatoes. We love to use classic Russet potatoes in our latkes; their high starch content allows them to get extra crispy. We choose to peel our potatoes, but you can keep the skin on if you prefer.
— The best way to shred your potatoes. If you only have a box grater, that will work, but we prefer to use a grater attachment on our food processor for perfectly consistent shreds.
—The key to crispy latkes. The enemy of a crispy latke is moisture. To eliminate any extra moisture in our latkes (and to guarantee crispy bites), we shred our onions separately, and remove the onion juice at the end of shredding. Then, we squeeze our potato shreds in a cheesecloth or clean kitchen towel to remove excess moisture, and save the potato starch at the bottom of our bowl to help bind our latkes later.
Variations:
These simple latkes make a great base for whatever seasonings and additions you desire! Add grated onion if you think no latke is complete without it, or any of your favorite must-have seasonings: garlic, paprika or rosemary would be a great place to start.
How to serve latkes:
Personally, we don't think any latke is complete without sides of sour cream and homemade applesauce. But, if you want to take things up a notch, load your latkes up with whipped cream cheese, capers and red onion, or top with ricotta and hot honey for a sweet-salty version. To get even more creative, check out our favorite latke recipes that take these potato cakes to the next level.
Made them? Let us know how it went in the comment section below!
- Yields:
- 13 serving(s)
- Prep Time:
- 15 mins
- Total Time:
- 30 mins
- Cal/Serv:
- 189
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb.
Russet potatoes, peeled (about 2 medium)
- 8 oz.
White onion, peeled (about 1 medium)
- 2
large eggs, beaten
- 3/4 c.
matzo meal
- 1 tbsp.
kosher salt, divided
Canola oil, for frying
- 2 tbsp.
freshly chopped chives
Applesauce, for serving
Sour cream, for serving
Directions
- Step1Ideally using the grating attachment on a food processor, or usingthe medium holes on box grater, grate potatoes. In a separate bowl do the same with the onion, discarding any onion juice that is created. Transfer the grated vegetables to a large bowl.
- Step2Working with a bit of the potatoes and onions at a time, add the vegetables to the center of a clean kitchen towel orcheese cloth, and squeeze out as much liquid as possible over a bowl. Repeat this until all of the shreds are dry.
- Step3Take the bowl of potato and onion juice and carefully pour out the liquid. This should reveal some paste-like potato starch at the bottom of the bowl.Reserve the potato starch.
- Step4In a large bowl, toss together the reserved potato starch, saltand the dried, shredded vegetables. Then gradually add the egg and matzo meal, alternating adding a bit of each at a time, until you are able to form the latkes into patties but the mixture isn't too dry.
- Step5In a large skillet over medium heat, heat about 1/4” oil until shimmering. To test if oil is hot enough, use a bit of latke batter and make sure it sizzles and begins to brown.
- Step6Form as many latkes that will fit into your skillet without overcrowding and add to the oil.Fry until crispy and golden, about 2 to3 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels to drain, then sprinkle with a bit more salt.Repeat with the remaining latke batter.
- Step7Serve with chives, applesauce, and sour cream.
