Latkes Golden Potato Pancakes Recipes

JEWISH CRISPY POTATO PANCAKES (LATKES)

Steps:

• Using a food processor or a handheld grater, grate the potatoes on the large-holed blade, or side of the grater. Place the grated potatoes into a large bowl, and let them sit while they release their liquid.
• In another large bowl, mix the eggs and minced onion. With your hands grab handfuls of the grated potato and squeeze over the bowl with all the potatoes in them, squeezing out as much liquid as possible back into the bowl. Transfer the squeezed potatoes into the bowl with the eggs. Repeat until all of the potatoes have been squeezed and transferred. Stick your finger into the liquid left in the other bowl. You'll feel a firm layer of potato starch at the bottom. What you need to do is carefully pour off the liquid and then scrape up all that valuable starch from the bottom of the bowl and mix it well with the egg and potato mixture (best to use your hands). This natural starch helps bind together the potatoes. If there is only a tablespoon or two of the starch, you'll also want to blend in the matzoh meal or flour. Add salt and pepper (be liberal, the pancakes will be quite bland without enough seasoning).
• In a large skillet (or use two large skillets to make the cooking go faster), heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and a teaspoon or so of butter over medium heat until the butter has melted and the fat is hot. Swirl the pan, and then add spoonfuls of the potato mixture-as big or small as you wish-and gently press them into round flat shapes in the pan. Cook until golden brown and crisp for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side. You'll need to keep a close eye on the heat; too low and they won't brown properly, too high and the oil will start smoking. Adjust it as needed.
• Drain briefly on paper towels, and transfer to a serving platter. Repeat until all of the potato mixture is used up, adding more oil and bits of butter as you need it (periodically you may want to dump out the pan, give it a quick wipe, and start over if you're finding that the oil is getting kind of dark and that too many bits of charred potato and onion are floating around). The potatoes will continue to release liquid as they sit; as you get to the bottom of the bowl, just give the potato mixture a quick squeeze before putting it in the hot pan to avoid splattering. And they will also start turning darker as they site, but when you cook them up it won't be very noticeable.
• Serve warm with applesauce and sour cream.

POTATO LATKES I

Steps:

• Place the potatoes in a cheesecloth and wring, extracting as much moisture as possible.
• In a medium bowl stir the potatoes, onion, eggs, flour and salt together.
• In a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until hot. Place large spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the hot oil, pressing down on them to form 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick patties. Brown on one side, turn and brown on the other. Let drain on paper towels. Serve hot!

SUPER SIMPLE LATKES (POTATO PANCAKES)

Steps:

• Defrost grated potatoes in a medium-size colander. Press with paper towels to remove excess moisture. There won't be much.
• Add onion, eggs, salt, pepper and flour. Mixture should be thick and cohesive.
• Pour about 1/4 inch of oil into a heavy-bottomed frying pan. I use an electric frying pan at 375 so it doesn't get too hot and burn the latkes.
• Use about 2 Tablespoons potato mixture and place in the oil and press into a patty.
• Fry for about 3 minutes. Flip and fry for another 3 or so minutes. If pancake cooks too fast, reduce oil's temperature. If it takes longer, turn the oil up so they don't get soggy. Repeat with remaining potato mixture.
• Drain on paper towels and serve immediately, or keep in a 250 oven on a baking sheet.

LATKES (POTATO PANCAKES)

Steps:

• Wash and peel the potatoes.
• Grate the potatoes with a grater or food processor.
• (You can grate them into a bowl of salted water to keep them from discoloring. Otherwise they discolor about as fast as you can grate them, although it doesn't hurt anything if you use them right away). Drain off all liquid, and squeeze the excess liquid out by hand.
• (Do this even if you don't soak them in the salted water.) Beat the eggs and mix with the grated potatoes and other ingredients, except the oil.
• Heat about 1/2 inch of oil in a skillet over medium high heat until very hot.
• Drop potato mixture by heaping tablespoons into oil (about 4 at a time).
• Use a pancake turner to flatten them out.
• Fry to golden brown on both sides (about 3 minutes per side).
• Drain on paper towels.
• Serve topped with applesauce or sour cream.

TEN TOPPINGS FOR POTATO PANCAKES OR LATKES

Steps:

• Prepare your favorite latkes and top with your choice of toppings.

LATKES (POTATO PANCAKES)

Steps:

• Shred potatoes, using coarse shredder blade of food processor. Transfer half the potatoes to a mesh sieve set over a medium bowl.
• Change food processor to steel chopping blade. Add onions to potatoes and process until coarsely chopped (about 1/8" chunks), 5-6 one-second pulses.
• Move potato-onion mixture to sieve and combine with shredded potato. Squeeze fistfuls of this mixture to remove as much liquid as possible; transfer to a dry bowl. Let remaining liquid sit in bowl until starch settles to bottom, then drain off the clear liquid, leaving the starch behind.
• Beat eggs, salt and pepper into starch, then add dry potato-onion mixture and fold together thoroughly. Add matzo meal until mixture is stiff enough to form patties.
• Pour oil into 12" saute pan until it is 1/4" deep and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Take 1/4 cup of potato mixture, press into 1/2"-thick disc and place in oil; press gently with spatula. Repeat until there are 5 latkes in pan.
• Adjust heat to keep edges of pancakes bubbling; fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Turn over and fry until golden brown all over, about 3 minutes more. Transfer to a triple layer of paper towels on a sheet pan. When oil is shimmering again, repeat. After every two batches, discard the oil and start over with fresh oil; continue this cycle until all the latkes are cooked.
• Serve hot with sour cream or applesauce. Latkes may be cooled to room temperature and held up to four hours; to reheat place on a hot cookie sheet in a 375F oven for about 10 minutes, turning once, until hot and crisp. To freeze, place in a single layer on a cookie sheet and freeze until solid, then transfer to a zip-top freezer bag; reheat in a 375F oven until hot and crisp, about 8-10 minutes per side.

POTATO LATKES (POTATO PANCAKES)

Steps:

• Wash and cut the potatoes small enough to fit through the top of the food processor for shredding. DO NOT PEEL.
• Add potato & onion to the food processor using the shredding blade, alternating between the two (the onion keeps the potatoes from browning).
• Mix beaten eggs, flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add potatoes and onions and stir well.
• Heat 2 tbsp oil over medium-high in skillet (use multiple skillets to speed up the time to cook).
• Using a slotted spoon, scoop about 1/3-1/2 cup of potato mixture into spoon, allowing excess liquid to drain back into the bowl.
• Drop potato mixture into hot oil in frying pan.
• Flip over when bottom is browned, then smash down to flatten into a pancake.
• Fry on 2nd side until brown.
• Drain on paper towels and then transfer to a cookie sheet in a single layer.
• Repeat until all of the latkas are done.
• At this point, the latkas can be served immediately, frozen or refrigerated to be served within 24 hours.
• NOTE: Reheat refrigerated latkas at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes and frozen ones at 450 degrees for 7-10 minutes.