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Potato Pancakes--Cook-Off 16

Chris Amirault

By Chris Amirault
in Cooking

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jsmeeker

jsmeeker

Posted
Posted

I've got some potatoes at home that I want to use in some way other than making mashed potatoes. So, I think I'll make some latkes.

I've done them before, but I think it's time to do them again. I know some say that adding egg and flour or matzaho meal doesn't make sense, but that seems the be fairly traditional based on a lot of posts here. So, that's what I'll do.

Jeff Meeker, aka "jsmeeker"

monavano

monavano

Posted
Posted
I add egg and flour.  I say do it. :wink:  And lots of shredded onion.

...which brings me to the leftover mashed sweet potatoes I have. I'm going to add leftover sausage, flour, egg and a little baking powder to make sweet potato pancakes for dinner tonite!

jsmeeker

jsmeeker

Posted
Posted
I add egg and flour.  I say do it. :wink:  And lots of shredded onion.

your posts are one of the main reasons I decided it was "proper" to add them in. :)

I may also give Jason's idea of processing some of the shredded potatoes a try. Of course, I may not since that means dirtying the food processor. I can grate to potatoes by hand on a box grater than can go in thw dishwasher.

Jeff Meeker, aka "jsmeeker"

jsmeeker

jsmeeker

Posted
Posted
Jeff~

I make a Cook's Illustrated recipe that grates part of the potatoes and finely chops the rest. It is a really good combination.

THICK AND CREAMY POTATO LATKES

Scroll down about 1/3 of the way..............

Thanks. Already went to their ste and looked for it. Maybe I'll try out that method when I make them (probably tomorrow night)

Jeff Meeker, aka "jsmeeker"

pax

pax

Posted
Posted

I was craving potato pancakes the other day and they were so yummy I ate the whole plateful without even telling my kids I'd made them.

Now I've come back here and read this thread and am craving them all over again. :cool: Maybe my kids will get some this time around, but probably not. :laugh:

“Don't kid yourself, Jimmy. If a cow ever got the chance, he'd eat you and everyone you care about!”
Jon Savage

Jon Savage

Posted
Posted
I add egg and flour.  I say do it. :wink:  And lots of shredded onion.

Yep. Tasty indeed. But squeeze the excess water out of the potatoes first.

Bliss...

I only make these for chanukah so I have a good few months to wait.

Jon

--formerly known as 6ppc--

lauraf

lauraf

Posted
Posted

I've read through this whole thread tonight :blink: my eyes hurt, but I want latkes! One of the reasons I've never made them is the daunting prospect of hand-grating the potatoes. It seems so labour-intensive, and grating has to be one of my least favourite prep activities. But I always hear from my Jewish relatives that grating potatoes in the processor makes for second-rate latkes. Any input?

And, we'd probably eat them with creme fraiche and smoked salmon. Since I don't keep kosher (I'm a mixed breed :rolleyes: ) I don't mind using some animal fat to fry them. Is duck fat better than bacon drippings? Do they fry differently?

BTW - I am probably going to follow Pam R's recipe, with eggs and flour. If I want to add some gruyere and chopped scallions, any portion adjustments needed?

Laura Fauman

Vancouver Magazine

jsmeeker

jsmeeker

Posted
Posted

OK.. Made latkes tonight

gallery_31660_4726_14983.jpg

All of the ingredients that went into them

gallery_31660_4726_47438.jpg

Mixed up. Potatoes grated by hand. Onion was rough chopped, then tossed in the Cuisinart to go for a spin I added a portion of the grated potatoes after squeezing them out by hand and letting them drain over a bowl. Then that went for a spin. Into the bowl where I added one egg, some parsley, and the starch from the drained potatoes. Then the matzo meal. It seemed like I had to use a lot. Mixture was pretty wet. Maybe 1 egg was too much?? Or maybe I should have drained the potatoes more??

gallery_31660_4726_34388.jpg

frying them in some peanut oil (only thing I really had on hand)

gallery_31660_4726_28284.jpg

plated up with some applesauce.

Jeff Meeker, aka "jsmeeker"

jsmeeker

jsmeeker

Posted
Posted
Were you making Last Words or using the Chartreuse and Maraschino in the latkes?

:D

None of that went into the latkes. But they sit out on the counter since they are too tall to fit in the cabinet with the bulk of my liquor. (there is also a bottle of Campari tucked back in there, too)

(but I do make Last Words)

Jeff Meeker, aka "jsmeeker"

TongoRad

TongoRad

Posted
Posted

I'm not sure if this qualifies, but this past weekend I had some leftover potato samosa filling in the fridge- instead of making samosas again (I guess I was feeling lazy) I just added some beaten egg and flour to the mixture and fried them as potato pancakes, served with tamarind chutney. They definitely elicited a "hmm...we've really got to try this again..." type response.

aka Michael

Chi mangia bene, vive bene!

"...And bring us the finest food you've got, stuffed with the second finest."

"Excellent, sir. Lobster stuffed with tacos."

  • 7 months later...
Chris Amirault

Chris Amirault

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Getting cooler here, and I've been thinking more and more about potato pancakes to go with the hanks of sausages in the freezer. Anyone else getting out the grater?

Chris Amirault

eG Ethics Signatory

Sir Luscious got gator belts and patty melts

kiliki

kiliki

Posted
Posted
I don't think there is anything better than a latke right out of the oil. Really. I mean that.

Agreed. I eat them year round, for breakfast or dinner. It would be my "last meal", I think.

I know some say that adding egg and flour or matzaho meal doesn't make sense, but that seems the be fairly traditional based on a lot of posts here.

If it doesn't have egg and binder, it's hash browns, not a pancake. A pancake isn't a shape, it's a flat cake made with BATTER.

pax

pax

Posted
Posted

Heaven is the Smart Monkey Cafe, of Ithaca, NY, where I can walk in and get organic, homemade, handmade potato pancakes for the asking. They are not as good as mine, of course... :biggrin:

but they are the only potato pancakes I've ever encountered in public which I would actually eat.

“Don't kid yourself, Jimmy. If a cow ever got the chance, he'd eat you and everyone you care about!”
pax

pax

Posted
Posted

On the grill! I just asked, I'm kind of shocked.

But, the emphasis here (as it is in a lot of funky places in Ithaca) is on healthy eating, they don't fry anything except for french fries if you ask for them that way, and there's a $1.50 surcharge for it!

“Don't kid yourself, Jimmy. If a cow ever got the chance, he'd eat you and everyone you care about!”
kiliki

kiliki

Posted
Posted
but they are the only potato pancakes I've ever encountered in public which I would actually eat.

Isn't is ridiculous how impossible it is to get these at a breakfast place? I've seen so many places mix raw grated potato in with regular pancake batter and call it a potato pancake--blech. Maybe in some parts of the country you can get good ones?

This is a Cook's Illustrated recipe. The best I've ever had.

I agree--I make those too and they are the best I've had as well.

pax

pax

Posted
Posted
On the grill! I just asked, I'm kind of shocked.

Grill as in flat top? Griddle?

That's what they told me. :smile:

“Don't kid yourself, Jimmy. If a cow ever got the chance, he'd eat you and everyone you care about!”
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