Everybody Loves Latkes

Latkes just may be one of my most favorite things. Making them can be a process, but the end result is a plate full of amazing! I like to serve them with a brown sugar sour cream which can be made super fast and was such a hit at Hanukkah Dinner that we decided you could dip your fries in it!

Ingredients:

Latkes-

3 Russet potatoes peeled and shredded 

1 white onion grated

3 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour or matzo meal or a combination of both!

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup peanut oil for frying (but you may need more, that's just to get your pan frying started!)

*cheesecloth or a ricer to strain out the excess water in the potatoes*

Brown Sugar Sour Cream-

1 regular size container of sour cream

1/3 cup maple syrup 

3 tablespoons brown sugar 

Flour to thicken

Make the sour cream before hand so it can chill in the fridge. Just combine the sugar, maple syrup, and sour cream with a spoon, mixing well. To thicken the mixture, add a tablespoon at a time of flour, mixing till you get the consistency that you want. Then just stick it in the fridge till serving time!

If you have a food processor, get that baby out and start shredding! If not, a hand grater is just fine. Potatoes have a short shelf life before they begin to brown, so if you know you take a long time grating, have a bowl of cold water on the side to put the shredded potatoes in. You'll have to strain the potatoes to make them ready for frying anyway(or you get  a soggy mash if you don't) so let them sit until your oil and onions are ready. 

In a large bowl combine the flour (or matzo meal or combination of both) and salt. Beat the three eggs and have them ready to mix into the flour mixture for when the potatoes are all shredded. I like to take the onions and saute them in butter before combining all the ingredients, it seems to make them melt into the latkes and who doesn't like butter? You can just heat up the butter in a small sauce pan, and saute till the onions are translucent but not brown(they will be brown when they get all fried up). Add the onion to the egg /flour mixture and then begin to heat up the peanut oil.

Make sure to use a large skillet for the frying and use medium-high heat. Squeeze the potatoes through the cheese cloth or ricer (paper towels work fine but you won't have as dry of potatoes and the latke mix can get sloshy by the last frying) and combine them into the mix. I like to use a nice wooden spoon to mix all the ingredients and it's a good way to measure out the latkes. 

When your oil is nice and hot slide in the latke mix from the spoon. Be careful not to stand too close or you may get some oil splash back!. I like to flatten the latke patty so it's about two inches in diameter and just fry till golden on each side. You want them to be nice and crispy on the outside, soft and delicious on the inside.

Keep the process going, transferring the latkes that have been fried up onto a plate lined with paper towels so the excess oil can drain out. Pull out the sour cream from the fridge and some applesauce(you can make homemade or dress up the store bought kind with a dash of cinnamon and ground cloves-be sparing with the clove, it is a powerful spice!) and serve!  

Enjoy!