Potato Pancakes--Cook-Off 16

[Chris Amirault]

I for one, like the heavier variety of latke, however. I also think matzo meal as part of the mix is a necessity, as are two textures of potatoes -- shredded and fine chop.

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Jason, what are the benefits of the two textures? I'm particularly curious about the fine chop.

[Megan Blocker]

I finally made latkes tonight! They were delicious. I grated the potatoes (russet) and onion by hand, squeezed them dry, added some toasted breadcrumbs, an egg, and salt and pepper. Then, I fried the suckers up in schmaltz. Served with sour cream and homemade applesauce (Granny Smith, lemon juice, sugar, and a bit of water). Wonderful dinner!

[Jason Perlow]

I for one, like the heavier variety of latke, however. I also think matzo meal as part of the mix is a necessity, as are two textures of potatoes -- shredded and fine chop.

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Jason, what are the benefits of the two textures? I'm particularly curious about the fine chop.

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I'm not sure if there is a scientific reason for it or even a good one. I just like them that way.

If you use all shredded, they come out tasting like hash browns. If you use all fine chop, the interior tends to have a mushy texture. If you use both plus add matzo meal, you get equilibrium.

In the words of Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi, Balance, Daniel-San.

[Nathan P.]

Hope I am not too late play! (and could someone please confirm that these pics come through since I just got my camera the other day and am new to posting photos)

So here is a potato cake that I have been making for a few years now that is a bit different than the latke style which is dominating this thread. The recipe comes from Chef Fabrice Marcon who currently runs Mistral at the Ferry Plaza in San Francisco but dates to when he ran Hyde St. Bistro. The recipe can be found at SFGate.com

First bake some potatoes.

Once they cool down, scoop the flesh out and mash with a fork.

Add a bit of olive oil and a bunch of crumbly blue cheese (this is Roquefort). Season but watch the salt as the cheese is fairly salty.

Form into cakes and throw into the fridge. Once they are cold, fry in some olive oil. They tend to stick a bit to the pan and while the cheese binds them, they are on the soft side so excercise caution.

Plate with greens in your basic bistro vinaigrette, some diced pear and a drizzle of nut oil. I used hazelnut for this batch. With the strong cheese flavor of the cakes, I like to use assertive greens for the salad. This one was a mix of frisee, escarole and baby spinach.

Nice starter for a french menu.

[Chris Amirault]

Photos came through -- and are -- fine, Nathan P! Interesting idea, too. Might give it a go for this Sunday's dinner....

[Pam R]

In case you were wondering...

50 lbs of potatoes + 40 small onions + 35 large eggs will produce approx. 244 good-size potato pancakes.

[Chris Amirault]

YEAH!! You go, Pam!!

[Gifted Gourmet]

Tonight is the first night of the long awaited Hanukkah celebration and so I finally made my first latkes of the year:

To accompany them:

Smoked salmon roulade with Boursin cheese filling:

and cream puffs for dessert:

Happy Hanukkah everyone!

[KatieLoeb]

Melissa:

Yum!!! That looks like a lovely holiday meal. The salmon roulade is particularly pretty. Care to share how you made that one?

[Gifted Gourmet]

The salmon roulade is particularly pretty. Care to share how you made that one?

Sure thing, Katie:

lay out a large rectangle of smoked salmon on Saran wrap

cover with a moderate coating of Boursin

throw on some fresh chopped chives or scallions

roll up tightly in a long roll

refrigerate overnight but don't freeze

carefully unwrap the roll and slice into 1-1/2 inch pieces

platter can be decorated with thinly sliced red onions, olives, small tomatoes or anything you choose

really delightful and different!

[Wendy DeBord]

You all have been making my mouth water! I had to make potato pancakes tonight to have with our prime rib....just to satisfy this craving you all have forced on me. Shame on you all..........

When my family owned out catering company we always had one particular women/employee who made the potato pancakes. They were always outstanding, I never watched her make them. Somehow I thought she'd always be in my life to make them. But she's passed on and my attempts don't compare to hers. I can't seem to make decent potato pancakes..........I'm so bummed out. I can't master these darn things (note: this isn't the first time mine stunk).

Sooooo I followed Rachels recipe (more or less). I only had yukon gold potatos on hand (perhaps they don't have enough starch?). I used my cusinart to grate the potatos and onion, using a med. grate (I don't have a fine or corser option). I waited to drain them...........but it took forever (so it seemed) before they leached out any water. Then I added the matzo meal, drained out the excess water before placing each patty in the med. hot oil. And my pancakes weren't crisp at all.

I tried turning up the heat to high (to brown them quicker), I tried adding more oil so they were almost deep frying. Neither attempt worked, I got browned pancakes but they still didn't crisp up.

Help............I have such a craving for a really good potato pancake and can't satisfy it. Any ideas what I'm doing wrong? If I post a photo of my sick pp's will that help you diagnosis what the probelm is?

[Gifted Gourmet]

Some latke recipes call for adding 2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda .. does anyone do this?

Does it actually make a lighter latke? Or does it change the texture in some way? Can you advise?

[jackal10]

Overweight Israeli Prime Minister Sharon advises go easy on the Latkes:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4559464.stm

[Pam R]

I tried turning up the heat to high (to brown them quicker), I tried adding more oil so they were almost deep frying. Neither attempt worked, I got browned pancakes but they still didn't crisp up.

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I fry in about 1/2" oil over medium heat. In the electric frying pan i've been doing them at 325-350. It takes longer to cook, but it ensures that the insides get cooked and you get that wonderful golden brown, crispy exterior.

[Rachel Perlow]

Sooooo I followed Rachels recipe (more or less). I only had yukon gold potatos on hand (perhaps they don't have enough starch?). I used my cusinart to grate the potatos and onion, using a med. grate (I don't have a fine or corser option). I waited to drain them...........but it took forever (so it seemed) before they leached out any water. Then I added the matzo meal, drained out the excess water before placing each patty in the med. hot oil. And my pancakes weren't crisp at all.

I tried turning up the heat to high (to brown them quicker), I tried adding more oil so they were almost deep frying. Neither attempt worked, I got browned pancakes but they still didn't crisp up.

Help............I have such a craving for a really good potato pancake and can't satisfy it. Any ideas what I'm doing wrong? If I post a photo of my sick pp's will that help you diagnosis what the probelm is?

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Of course, pictures always help illustrate the problem, we're here to help you.

Meanwhile, did they soak up all your grease and come out limp and greasy? That would indicate that your pan wasn't hot enough when you added the batter to the pan. Turning up the heat after the pancakes are in the pan doesn't eleviate this problem. I turn the heat to medium and allow the pans to get hot before adding any fat. Add the fat, about 1/2 and inch or so, then allow that to come to temperature for 5 minutes or so before attempting to test the heat, longer and at a lower temperature if you are using schmaltz. Start one test latke. It should sizzle immediately and be GBD on the underside within 2-3 minutes.

In fact, I keep my timer set for 2 minutes and just keep restarting it, it seems a good amount of time to use as a reminder, in case you get distracted by a phone call, spouse, kids, etc. On a medium flame, a pancake that wasn't ready to flip, won't have burned in another 2 minutes, in 3 or more, it might have.

Never add oil while there are latkes in the pan. That oil isn't hot enough and the pancakes will just absorb lots of it, rather than frying more. If adding more fat becomes necessary, add it between batches, and allow it to come fully to temperature before attempting to fry more latkes.

Don't overcrowd the pan. In both my large cast iron skillet and my 12 inch All-Clad, I only fry 5 latkes at a time.

I have used Yukon Gold before, but Russets are better for this because they are starchier. Add a little salt to the shredded potatoes to help leach out liquid. Squeeze them in a tea towel, cheese cloth or use a salad spinner to get out more liquid. Allow the liquid to sit for several minutes before discarding the water, pour slowly and with care to reserve the potato starch to add back to the batter.

Don't worry about cooking them all the way through in the pan. Once they are GBD on both sides, set them on a rack in a low oven. They'll finish cooking while you fry the rest. If you increase the heat in the pan, you are less likely to cook them through before they are GBD. You want a nice medium heat, so they are constantly sizzling, but the oil isn't smoking.

Hmm, that's all the advice I can think of for now. What specifically did you not like about your latkes? That may help me think of more.

[Wendy DeBord]

Actually after reading your response Rachel, it's clear to me that I didn't have my oil hot enough. They did soak up the oil in the pan, like a sponge! I did everything you mentioned. I kept added oil to the pan while they were cooking cause they kept soaking up the oil.

.......I thought the oil was hot enough (I did let the pan and oil heat up for several minutes, but my flame must have been too low. I had it at med. on my dial), but they didn't sizzle when I placed the pancakes into it.

Is there anyway to make them better as I reheat them? I heated some today in the oven on a foil lined pan thinking they might crisp up, but they didn't. So is it too late once they've been fried incorrectly?

.........and thank-you for your advice!

P.S. they did taste pretty good.........no need to adjust that.

[CaliPoutine]

dinner tonight:

russets( squeezed dry), egg, matza meal, salt and pepper. Light sour cream and unsweetened applesauce.

Happy Hanukah!!

[Rachel Perlow]

Is there anyway to make them better as I reheat them? I heated some today in the oven on a foil lined pan thinking they might crisp up, but they didn't. So is it too late once they've been fried incorrectly?

.........and thank-you for your advice!

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I would heat them in a low oven, like 275-300 F, on a rack. That way, if possible, any oil can drip out, and you want to heat them for 10-15 minutes, until they are good and sizzling. That may crisp up the edges at least.

You're welcome for the advice.

If you ever come visit me, I promise to teach you latkes if you help improve my baking!

Edit: Oh, I thought of something else... If you are heating them in a gas oven, they are less likely to crisp up. Something about how the combusion of natural gas creates water vapor. Use an electric oven, convection if possible, like a toaster oven, for drier heat.

Edited December 28, 2005 by Rachel Perlow (log)

[Chris Amirault]

Is there anyway to make them better as I reheat them? I heated some today in the oven on a foil lined pan thinking they might crisp up, but they didn't. So is it too late once they've been fried incorrectly?

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I would heat them in a low oven, like 275-300 F, on a rack. That way, if possible, any oil can drip out, and you want to heat them for 10-15 minutes, until they are good and sizzling. That may crisp up the edges at least.

snip

Edit: Oh, I thought of something else... If you are heating them in a gas oven, they are less likely to crisp up. Something about how the combusion of natural gas creates water vapor. Use an electric oven, convection if possible, like a toaster oven, for drier heat.

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Also, if you turn the oven up to 325-350, you'll be closer to the temperature you'd want the oil to be at if you were refrying them. If you are stuck with a gas oven, you can always crank it to 450 or so and keep the door cracked open.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Mark Bittman on "potato nik" of his grandmother

a nik was essentially a bowlful of latke batter cooked all at once, in the form of a cake.  The attractions of the potato nik are many. You can cook a huge one - the equivalent of probably 20 latkes - in 40 minutes. It can be made in advance by a half-hour and still be warm when you serve it, and it isn't at all bad cooled off, either.

The article has a video as well on Potato Nik ...

[Pam R]

Mark Bittman on "potato nik" of his grandmother

a nik was essentially a bowlful of latke batter cooked all at once, in the form of a cake.  The attractions of the potato nik are many. You can cook a huge one - the equivalent of probably 20 latkes - in 40 minutes. It can be made in advance by a half-hour and still be warm when you serve it, and it isn't at all bad cooled off, either.

The article has a video as well on Potato Nik ...

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I would call that a kugle... n'est pas?

[Pam R]

by the way.. I've just finished peeling and grating pounds 130 through 160 of potatoes. Off to fry more.

[Gifted Gourmet]

I would call that a kugle... n'est pas?

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Not really .. bready block of compressed potato...

potato nik as described by Jim Leff is:

My eyes bugged out when I spied golden loaves of potato nik, a very rare grail. The homeliest, densest of Jewish soul foods, potato nik is a bready block of compressed potato. A neutron star of spuds.

source

The Recipe!

[Pam R]

My eyes bugged out when I spied golden loaves of potato nik, a very rare grail. The homeliest, densest of Jewish soul foods, potato nik is a bready block of compressed potato. A neutron star of spuds.

source

If I hadn't gotten up at 4 AM this morning, it wouldn't have taken me 2 hours to realize that this is what we call Bulbanik. I promise not to eGullet on no sleep!

[jackal10]

For those who make whole frying pan size latkes (niks as I have now learnt to call them), rosti and the like, the secret to turning them over is to use two plates. Using one plate and sliding never works for me. They break up.

Step 1. Put plate one upside down on top of the pan.

Step 2. Invert and shake. Remove frying pan. With luck the nik will not have stuck and you now have the nik cooked side up on the plate.

Step 3. Put another plate upside down over the nik. Invert. You now have the nik cooked side down

Step 4. Put the frying pan (regreased) upside down over the nik on the second plate. Invert. The nik is now rightside up in the pan.

Edited December 28, 2005 by jackal10 (log)