David Firestones Latkes Recipes

CLASSIC LATKES

Steps:

• Grate the potatoes and onion on the large holes of a box grater into a colander set over a bowl. Add 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper, toss well and let stand 5 minutes. Squeeze handfuls of the mixture firmly with your hands to remove as much liquid as possible. Blot dry with paper towels, then transfer to a large bowl.
• Add the beaten egg and matzo meal or flour to the potato mixture and toss well to combine. Scoop 1/4 cupfuls of the mixture and tightly pack into thin 3- to 4-inch pancakes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet.
• Preheat the oven to 250˚. Heat 1/4 inch vegetable oil or chicken fat in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in three batches, fry the latkes until deep golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes per side, reducing the heat as needed if the latkes are browning too quickly. Remove to a rack set on a rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Keep warm in the oven while you make the remaining latkes. Serve with applesauce and/or sour cream.

DAVID FIRESTONE'S LATKES

Steps:

• Place the onion in a food processor. Pulse the blade a few times until the onion is diced into crunchy bits. Remove blade and scrape the bits into a small bowl. Return the food processor bowl to the machine. No need to wash it yet.
• Scrub the potatoes with a brush, and cut lengthwise to fit into the processor feed tube. Put the medium-coarse shredding disk into the processor and turn it on. Begin feeding in the potato slices.
• When potatoes are shredded, place in a colander over a large bowl. Dump in the onion bits and mix everything around with your hands, squeezing out the potato moisture as you work.
• Pour the potato liquid out of the bowl, but leave the starch that clings to the bowl. Dump in the shredded potato and onion mix. Add the eggs, matzo meal, parsley, salt and pepper. Stir the mixture briskly, then let sit for about 10 minutes.
• In a large cast-iron skillet, pour 1/4 inch of olive oil. Over high heat, get the oil very hot. Using a 1/4-cup measure or a long-handled serving spoon, start spooning the batter into the skillet. Flatten each with a metal spatula to a diameter of 4 to 5 inches. Do not try to make the latkes uniformly round. Reduce heat to medium and cook latkes until golden brown on one side, about 5 minutes. Turn them over and fry some more, another 5 minutes or so. When crispy on the outside and moist inside, remove latkes and place on several thicknesses of paper towels. Repeat until you run out of batter.
• Serve latkes immediately, with pumpkin preserves.

CLASSIC POTATO LATKES

Steps:

• Using a food processor with a coarse grating disc, grate the potatoes and onion. Transfer the mixture to a clean dishtowel and squeeze and wring out as much of the liquid as possible.
• Working quickly, transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the eggs, flour, salt, baking powder and pepper, and mix until the flour is absorbed.
• In a medium heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat, pour in about 1/4 inch of the oil. Once the oil is hot (a drop of batter placed in the pan should sizzle), use a heaping tablespoon to drop the batter into the hot pan, cooking in batches. Use a spatula to flatten and shape the drops into discs. When the edges of the latkes are brown and crispy, about 5 minutes, flip. Cook until the second side is deeply browned, about another 5 minutes. Transfer the latkes to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and sprinkle with salt while still warm. Repeat with the remaining batter.

DAVID "THE LATKE KING" FIRESTONE'S CRISPY LATKES

Steps:

• Pulse the onion in a food processor a few times until the onion is diced into crunchy bits. Remove the blade and scrape the onion into a small bowl. Return the food processor bowl to the machine. (Don't wash it yet.).
• Cut the potatoes lengthwise to fit in the food processor feed tube. Put the medium-coarse food processor shredding disk and turn it on. Begin feeding the potato slices into the machine.
• When the potatoes are shredded, put them in a colander over a large bowl. Dump in the onion bits and mix everything around with your hands, squeezing the potato moisture out as you work. Let the mixture drip for a few minutes.
• Pour out the potato liquid from the bowl, but leave the starch that clings to the bowl. Dump in the shredded potato and onion mix. Add the eggs, matzoh meal, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir well. Then let it sit for about 10 minutes.
• In a large cast-iron skillet, pour in ¼ inch of oil. Over high heat, get the oil very hot. Using a ¼-cup measure or a long-handled serving spoon, spoon the batter into the skillet. Flatten each with a metal spatula to a diameter of 4 to 5 inches. Don't worry about them being uniformly round. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the latkes until golden brown on one side. Then turn over and fry them some more. When crispy on the outside and moist inside, about 5 minutes per side, remove and place on several thicknesses of paper towels. Keep doing this until you run out of batter.
• Serve the latkes immediately.

CLASSIC POTATO LATKES

Steps:

• Coarsley grate the potatoes and onion into a large bowl, or use a food processor with a coarse grating blade. Leave the mixture to rest for about 15 mins so the liquid releases from the onions and potatoes. Carefully drain off the liquid for about 30 mins until the mixture is dry, then put in a cheese cloth and squeeze out the remaining liquid.
• Add the eggs, flour, 1 tsp sea salt and pepper, and mix well. Pour the oil into the pan so that it is 2-3cm deep. Set over a medium heat for a few minutes until it ripples.
• Carefully spoon in the mixture to the size you want - 2 tbsp for large latkes or 1 tbsp for small. Fry them in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan, and cook on each side until browned for 2 mins. Remove to a plate lined with kitchen paper, then season with a sprinkling of salt. Serve with the soured cream and smoked salmon, finished with a sprinkling of chives, or just apple sauce - both are traditional.