Snow Day Latkes

We’ve had a lot of snow (I mean A LOT) lately, and the result was, and I will say thankfully, unexpected overnight guests.

During the afternoon one of our adult children dropped over with two friends, and before they knew it, going home was not an option.

The next morning these boys were going to be hungry and ready to get back to their busy lives. So what to feed them was the 10,000 dollar question, and at the same time we were caught a bit short on groceries.

Well, we filled the kitchen island with cereal, milk, juice, bananas and …..Latkes….great idea.

Latkes are easy!

My grandmother used to make Latkes at our cottage and would always say, “if you like, you can call them potato pancakes dear”. Now, I’m not going to get into a debate other than to say we just loved them, and they were a nice surprise for our guests, who ate them all up and I even got a fist pump! Have I ever mentioned that I am a sucker for compliments? Mission accomplished!

Latkes are simple to make, and the total time from preparation to table is about 20 minutes. As a bonus, Latkes can be pre cooked, stored on a rack and reheated in the oven.

There are a lot of serving options, with the traditional toppings being sour cream or apple sauce, but use your imagination. The boys preferred dipping in ketchup or spooning a dollop of sour cream on top.

A couple of points about making crispy Latkes:

• If possible use Russet potatoes.
  • Russet potatoes are high in starch and have a lower water content helping to crisp up when fried.
• Make sure to squeeze as much moisture out of the potato after shredding. I use my hands to squeeze a fistful of potato and onion mixture at a time, but you can also wrap the shredded potatoes in cheesecloth or a tea towel to squeeze out the moisture.
• Make sure to use a high smoke point oil and do not start frying until the oil is shimmering hot.

Give Latkes a try, I’m sure you will be delighted.

How lucky we were to have a well fed crew to help us shovel out!

Latke Ingredients:

For 9 Latkes – recipe amounts are approximates at best

• 3 medium sized potatoes about 1lb (Russet are best but use what you have)
• 1 egg
• 2/3 medium onion – (we had cooking onions)
• Optional: 2 to 3 green onions thinly chopped (we had 2 on hand)
• 3 TBSP flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• pepper and salt to taste – I use about a half tsp of each and also sprinkle salt on top when finished frying
• vegetable oil to coat the entire pan (oil with a high smoke point is required)
  • There are many other options here including garlic powder, everything bagel spice, cayenne…..don’t be afraid to try things

Latke Preparation:

• Ready all your ingredients before peeling and shredding the potatoes. Shredded potatoes will quickly discolour (oxidization) which is a normal process but will not effect the flavour of your Latke
• Using a box shredder or food processor – shred the potatoes and onions into a bowl. Use the large hole (grating side) for the potatoes and the smaller hole (shredder side)  for the onions.
  • I like to shred the potatoes lengthwise as much as possible to produce longer string like shreds. I always end up with onion chunks, which I chop with a knife into fine pieces. Be sure to empty the shredder of all potato and onions bits.

• Using your hands, tea towel or cheese cloth (I use my hands), grab snowball sized clumps of the potato and onion mixture and squeeze as much liquid out and place the ball into another bowl. Continue with the entire mixture……
  • Note: If you squeeze the liquid into a bowl and let it stand for a few minutes, the starch from the potatoes will settle on the bottom of the bowl. You can pour the liquid out and add the starch back to the shredded mixture which will help with binding and crispiness.
• Add the remaining ingredients and mix well

• How much oil in the pan varies by kitchen. I like to generously coat the pan but not to the point that the Latke is swimming or being deep fried.
  • I use a cast iron pan over medium high heat
  • Consider using a splatter guard to prevent oil from spraying around the stove
  • Make sure the oil is shimmering hot before adding the mixture
• Use a heaping spoonful or ice cream scoopful to place the mixture into the hot oil
  • Press down to flatten to a desired thickness – I like them fairly flat as they will cook faster and crisp up better

• Cook on each side until golden brown – about 2 to 3 minutes per side using a fork or fish spatula and fingers to turn.
• When done, place on a rack and immediately salt the tops.

You’ve done it – Enjoy your Latkes.

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