Hummingbird Recipe. Potato Latkes.
Potato Latkes
The real deal. Tried and true. Don’t forget the apple sauce and sour cream. Lots of it. And make extra pancakes—you won’t have any left over!
3 medium size potatoes
1 onion
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup matzoh meal, bread crumbs, or panko
Salt + pepper
Neutral oil such as safflower or canola for frying
Grate potatoes, using either a course hand grater, or the “shredding” blade in food processor. Place the grated potatoes in a bowl, put a plate or bowl on top weighted with a heavy cookbook. Let the liquid drain out of the potatoes— it just takes a few minutes, you will see it come out. Pour off liquid. Or, “wing out” in a dish towel.
Grate onion and add to potatoes. Add eggs.
Add matzoh meal, bread crumbs, or panko 2-3 tbsp at a time. You want to make a pancake batter that holds together while frying, but NOT dry. Season lightly with salt and pepper. You will be adding a sprinkle of salt at the end.
Heat frying pan on medium heat. Cover the bottom of the pan with oil. Let the oil get hot before adding the batter. You can test with a teaspoon of batter when you think it is ready to go. It should sizzle when you put the batter in. Use a heaping tbsp of batter or a touch more per pancake. Flatten it with a spatula once you put it into the pan. Fry until edges get crispy brown (about 5 minutes) and flip for another 3 minutes. Move latkes to a plate with paper towels to soak up extra. oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. Repeat until the batter is used up, adding oil and letting the oil get hot between batches as necessary.
If making a large amount, preheat oven to 350. Place drained latkes on a cookie sheet and warm for 5 minutes. Don’t keep in the oven too long!
Serve with bowls of apple sauce and sour cream. And smile as you watch them disappear.
Makes 8-10 pancakes.
Epilogue and Tips:
Most latke recipes are just passed word of mouth, so I had to canvas several latke aficionados to make sure these measurements were correct. I picked up a few tips along the way.
Use salt and pepper sparingly in the batter, and sprinkle salt on the pancakes while they are frying or immediately out of the pan while they are “draining.” While a couple use a coarse salt such as sea salt, almost all prefer table salt for this recipe. I am going to try a “finishing salt” this year!
Be sure to drain the potato liquid after grating.
Diehards use matzoh meal only, no panko or breadcrumbs.
Make more than you think you need. They are always “all gone.”
Be forewarned—the aroma of fried potato pancakes will linger, so have your exhaust fan ready to use. This is one dish that everyone says, “it’s worth it.”
Potatoes. I use whichever look best when I am buying them. Some people swear by Russets. I have used red, yukon gold, russets... all delicious. As for the number of potatoes, use your judgement--if they are larger, use 2, medium 3 for this recipe, increasing the recipe proportionately with the number of latkes you wish to serve. Traditionally, you should peel the potatoes, but if you are using new, small potatoes, you can grate with the skin. Always peel a thicker skin variety.
