Latkes - the Topic!

[Jim Dixon]

Tonight I made basic latkes (but with leek instead of onion), but I cooked them in duck fat.

Oy!

Jim

ps...ate them, as usual, with ketchup

[bloviatrix]

Tonight I made basic latkes (but with leek instead of onion), but I cooked them in duck fat.

Oy!

Jim

ps...ate them, as usual, with ketchup

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A man after my own heart.

[Pan]

You put ketchup on latkes, Andrea? Is that a family custom?

[bloviatrix]

You put ketchup on latkes, Andrea? Is that a family custom?

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The ketchup is an abomination. But I'm willing to overlook it because of the duck fat.

[Pan]

Oh, I feel better.

[Jim Dixon]

As I point out on my latke page:

Our large blended family includes a couple of Jewish stepsons, and they report that my latkes compare favorably with the hundreds that they've consumed. Since I was shooting for hash browns originally, I've always eaten mine with ketchup instead of the traditional sour cream and applesauce. Aaron and Daniel tell me that, at least in the celebrations they attend, which are more culturally Jewish than religious, there's always a few folks out in the kitchen sneaking ketchup on their latkes, too.

Ketchup has a long and honorable condiment history and a particular affinity for fried potatoes in any form. I stand by my Heinz (altho' I'll admit that I'm starting to lean a little toward the Muir Glen organic ketchup after some badgering from one of my own goyish boys).

Jim

[Gifted Gourmet]

.... I'm willing to overlook it because of the duck fat.

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The Sanity of Frying with Goose or Duck Fat

Duck and especially goose fat have been used for frying the world's tastiest potatoes for hundreds of years. Indeed in the depths of France, where people are not wholly terrified of animal fats, some people still do it. Shirley Corriher, a respected scientist, cook, says, "with our health fears, we may have overreacted to all animal fat. Some of the hydrogenated vegetable oils in margarines probably elevate serum cholesterol more than fats from fowls."

So, Donald Duck and Mother Goose ought to be buying their plane tickets to Buenos Aires about now ...

Happy Hanukkah, no matter what your fat of choice ...

[bloviatrix]

The Washington Post provides another option for latkes -- made with ricotta!

For the Festival of Lights, A Different Kind of Pancake

A beautiful spy enters an enemy camp to seduce its evil general. After tempting him with salty cakes of cheese and a steady stream of wine to quench his thirst, she watches him fall into a drunken stupor. She slays him and his frightened troops retreat. Our heroine's people are saved.

This could be a movie pitch, but it is actually the lesser-known biblical story associated with the eight days of Hanukah, which began at sundown Tuesday......

[Jason Perlow]

Latkes made tonight for a belated family Hannukah Party tomorrow:

These were cooked in a 1/1/1 combination of Peanut Oil, Corn Oil and Rendered Chicken Fat cooked with Onions (Schmaltz). The Latke mixture was a combination of shredded and minced Yukon Gold potatoes with egg and matzo meal.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Latkes made tonight for a belated family Hannukah Party tomorrow:

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They can last overnight in all that oil?

I always do them to be served immediately ... takes very little time actually ... and I think that way they taste much better ...

[Rachel Perlow]

Jason wanted me to post my "recipe" for these (like I measured anything!):

7 pounds potato (5 lbs russet, plus the ~2 lbs of yukon gold that were hanging around the pantry), grated

1 large raw onion, grated

1 large onion, sliced and cooked in schmaltz until golden

1 package matzo ball mix (don't ask, we couldn't find the matzo meal, at first, so this got added, then I found the matzo meal, so...)

1/2 cup matzo meal, maybe more, a cup?

6 eggs

1 Tbs salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

For frying: 1 cup peanut oil, 1 cup corn oil (or all corn and all peanut), 1 cup schmatz, melted and combined. If you use all peanut, the latkes taste like boardwalk fries. If you use all schmalz, they're way too, um, chickeny. If I had to use all one oil, I'd go with the corn, it's the most neutral.

Grate the onion and potato, I use a FP w/a medium grater set in it. This fills my FP about 3 times. When dumping out the last batch of potato, leave in about 1/2 a FP bowl's worth, add back all the large scraps of potato that didn't get grated right, take out the grater disc and put in the regular FP blade. Grind this remaining potatoes by plusing several times until almost finely ground. Add this to the grated potatoes. Oh, you should be dumping them into a very large colander in a very large bowl.

While you've been grating & grinding potatoes, that sliced onion should have been getting golden on the stove. Drain them and allow to cool. If there isn't any black specks in the oil, it can be added to the frying oil. If there are, dump it.

Go to the sink with the bowl, it should have been draining for a while by now. Lift up the colander and pour out the water carefully, try to keep the white potato starch in the bowl. Put the pototo & raw onion in the bowl, add the cooked onion, matzo meal, seasoning and eggs. Use your hands to mix evenly.

Heat the pans, add about 1/2 cup oil mixture. Drop the batter about 1/4 cup at time, flattening the pancakes. Cook until brown on both sides. I don't worry too much about cooking all the way through (if they are thick), because I usually cook them ahead and reheat in a hot oven on a sheet pan. They always come out perfect that way.

[Rachel Perlow]

Latkes made tonight for a belated family Hannukah Party tomorrow:

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They can last overnight in all that oil?

I always do them to be served immediately ... takes very little time actually ... and I think that way they taste much better ...

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Huh? No, they get drained, cooled or frozen. Then reheated on a sheet pan in a very hot oven.

[cakewalk]

A visitor to my home, made sweet potato/parsnip latkes a few years ago.  Sadly she did not share the recipe with me.  The spiciness of the parsnips went perfectly with the sweet potato.  We ate them topped with onion/garlic marmalade and home made sour cream. (mine and mine - she didn't get the recipe for them either.  Two can play that game.)

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Here is a recipe:

Sweet Potato - Parsnip Latkes

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I didn't get around to making any latkes this year, but the sweet potato/parsnip combination really caught my eye. I did intend to make the latkes, but it just didn't happen. What to do with all the sweet potatoes/parsnips? I decided to turn the recipe into a kugle. It turned out very well, if I may say so myself. The parsnips really give the dish some pizzazz. Andiesenji -- would you be willing to share the recipe for your onion/garlic marmalade? Talk about pizzazz, that sounds wonderful!

[Peter B Wolf]

Jason wanted me to post my "recipe" for these (like I measured anything!):

7 pounds potato (5 lbs russet, plus the ~2 lbs of yukon gold that were hanging around the pantry), grated

1 large raw onion, grated

1 large onion, sliced and cooked in schmaltz until golden

1 package matzo ball mix (don't ask, we couldn't find the matzo meal, at first, so this got added, then I found the matzo meal, so...)

1/2 cup matzo meal, maybe more, a cup?

6 eggs

1 Tbs salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

For frying: 1 cup peanut oil, 1 cup corn oil (or all corn and all peanut), 1 cup schmatz, melted and combined. If you use all peanut, the latkes taste like boardwalk fries. If you use all schmalz, they're way too, um, chickeny. If I had to use all one oil, I'd go with the corn, it's the most neutral.

Grate the onion and potato, I use a FP w/a medium grater set in it. This fills my FP

about 3 times. When dumping out the last batch of potato, leave in about 1/2 a FP bowl's worth, add back all the large scraps of potato that didn't get grated right, take out the grater disc and put in the regular FP blade. Grind this remaining potatoes by plusing several times until almost finely ground. Add this to the grated potatoes. Oh, you should be dumping them into a very large colander in a very large bowl.

While you've been grating & grinding potatoes, that sliced onion should have been getting golden on the stove. Drain them and allow to cool. If there isn't any black specks in the oil, it can be added to the frying oil. If there are, dump it.

Go to the sink with the bowl, it should have been draining for a while by now. Lift up the colander and pour out the water carefully, try to keep the white potato starch in the bowl. Put the pototo & raw onion in the bowl, add the cooked onion, matzo meal, seasoning and eggs. Use your hands to mix evenly.

Heat the pans, add about 1/2 cup oil mixture. Drop the batter about 1/4 cup at time, flattening the pancakes. Cook until brown on both sides. I don't worry too much about cooking all the way through (if they are thick), because I usually cook them ahead and reheat in a hot oven on a sheet pan. They always come out perfect that way.

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Rachel, sure you did not get this recipe from my Grandmother (meine Omi), Although, supposedly, I am not Jewish, my Omi's maiden name was 'Rasemann', and she made these "Kartoffelpuffer" in the early '40s in Leipzig Germany, where I grew up

[Rachel Perlow]

Recipe? What recipe? I haven't looked at a recipe for latkes in many years. I just put in stuff until it looks right.

[Luckylies]

Recipe? What recipe? I haven't looked at a recipe for latkes in many years. I just put in stuff until it looks right.

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ha! my sister actually yelled at me for not following a recipe the other day. a RECIPE for latkes! If I told grandma she'd flip. Next thing you know my sisters going to ask for the "prized stuffed cabbage recipe*"

*also does not exist

[little ms foodie]

Rachel, do they really come out ok if you reheat them? Do you do it at 400F or so? I've always made them to go straight from the skillet to the hungry mouths in the living room. This would be much easier!!

[Rachel Perlow]

Yes, they actually are better if you reheat them. I make them kind of thick, then cook them just until everything is golden brown. Sometimes, this means the potato on the inside is a little undercooked. So, I make a lot ahead (the recipe above produced around 4.5 dozen "5 to a pan" latkes) and refrigerate (for the next day or three) or freeze (for enjoyment in the coming weeks/months, freeze in freezer bags in the amount you would want to reheat at one time) the rest.

To reheat, preheat oven to 450 F. Lay the latkes out in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Put in oven, they are sizzling hot in about 10 minutes. Line the serving plate with a paper towel to absorb some of the remaining grease.

Serve with apple sauce and/or sour cream.

[Rachel Perlow]

Also, I know there's an argument for an all potato latke, maybe with a little onion, but no matzo meal, eggs, etc. I disagree. They just taste like hash browns that way.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Also, I know there's an argument for an all potato latke, maybe with a little onion, but no matzo meal, eggs, etc. I disagree. They just taste like hash browns that way.

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Aren't they one in the same? shredded potatoes cooked in oil ...

[Rachel Perlow]

Huh? No. Hash browns, yes, are shredded potatoes (maybe with onions) cooked in oil. Latkes have other ingredients and have a creamier, gooier texture. To me anyway.

[tryingsomethingnew]

Can bite-size latkes be frozen in advance without ruining the texture and crispiness?

Edited November 8, 2005 by tryingsomethingnew (log)

[Gifted Gourmet]

Can bite-size latkes be frozen in advance without ruining the texture and crispiness?

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Yes

Positively

Certainly

[Pam R]

What Melissa said.

Or:

• Latkes are best served hot, right out of the pan (after draining).  If you are feeding a group, place the fresh latkes on a baking sheet and keep in a 200º oven as you make them.  If necessary, they can be reheated on a baking sheet at 350º degrees, uncovered, until warm (about 10-15 minutes).

Last week I made 8 varieties of latkes - several dozen of each. I've since thawed and reheated all of them.. the only one that really wasn't happy after being frozen were the curried sweet potato/apple latkes.

Just don't reheat them in the microwave .

[Jason Perlow]

The toaster oven is great for reheating Latkes.