How To Make Crispy, Delicious Latkes (Jewish Potato Pancakes, Traditional for Hannukah) - Recipe

Now that's a crispy latke!

Let me apologize immediately for the poor photography, but I have a very good excuse. I wanted to get myself on the outside of those latkes immediately, and you should actually be amazed that I stopped to take a picture at all.

I'm a latke purist. Please do not darken my digital doorstep with tales of pumpkin-chipotle latkes or Thai-spice latkes. For me, a latke should contain: Russet potato, onion, egg, salt, flour, and be fried in a decent amount of oil, and then be served with applesauce and sour cream, and more salt.

By the way, and I'm not the only one who thinks so, the closest thing in civilian life to a good latke is an order of scattered and smothered hash browns at Waffle House. Ask for them well done.

[Sidebar to the latke uninitiated: this is terrible! You must have latkes immediately! You are missing one of the world's great foods. There are still 3 nights of Hannukah left, so call a Jewish friend and beg them to make latkes for you. Or follow the recipe below anytime.]

We want them to be as crispy as possible, and preferably served fresh from the frying pan. So the ideal way to do that is make them for say 4 people, or make them for a crowd but serve them standing up, spatulating direct to the diner's plate. If that isn't possible, the next best thing is to fry as many at a time as possible, keep them on a baking sheet, and quickly re-crisp at 400 degrees.

The key to good latke making is to extract as much water from the potatoes as possible. The optimum way to do that is to wrap the grated potatoes in cheesecloth or a clean towel, a couple handfuls at a time, and wring the heck out of them. Get a little mad and get every drop out. Otherwise they will spit water at you from the frying pan and come out mushy. A distant second choice is to squeeze them in a colander.

This year I cribbed a new grating technique from Smitten Kitchen (and generally followed her ratios too), but you can also use a box grater and do it by hand if you don't mind a little workout. The texture of the food processor grated ones is a little different and I think I prefer it. The grating must be done not long before frying or the potatoes will oxidize to an unappetizing black. If you must grate them early, try putting plastic wrap tightly down on the surface and refrigerating.

Whatever else you have with a latke meal should be considered merely a formality, since inevitably everyone will stuff themselves on the cakes. I've provided the recipe in terms of ratio to a pound of potato. For my family, you need about 3/4 pound per person.

Crispy, Delicious Latkes
Vegetarian; not vegan or gluten-free
Multiply as needed to use 3/4 pound potato per person as main course or half that as an appetizer (unimaginable, but just in case)

1 pound Russet potato, peeled
1/4 pound onion, preferably white but yellow is ok
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1.5 teaspoons Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper (optional)
vegetable oil for frying

In a food processor or on a box grater, grate the potato and onion and mix together. Working a handful or two at a time, wrap the mixture in a double layer of cheesecloth or a clean hand towel and wring the liquid out of them. Hard. Go to town. Get them as dry as possible. Really. This makes a huge difference.
Stir in the eggs, flour, salt, and pepper. If you aren't worried about eating raw egg, taste a little bit and see if you have enough salt.
In a large skillet, heat about 1/8 inch of oil over a medium high flame. (If you are feeling your oats, you can use two or more large skillets at once). A bit of potato thrown in should immediately sizzle, but the oil shouldn't be smoking. (You can use less oil, but they will be less delicious).
Depending on what size you like your latkes, grab about 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup of potato, and add it to the oil. Immediately flatten to about 1/3 inch. You don't want much thickness because the inside has to cook before the outside burns. Form the rest of the latkes the same way.
When the first side is a dark, deep brown (see picture above), flip and continue cooking. When both sides are done, remove to a plate lined with paper towel. Sprinkle on a bit more salt.
Be sure and taste one of the first ones to make sure it is cooked through. If not, reduce the heat a bit or make the next batch thinner.
Try not to eat all of them yourself.
Serve with applesauce and sour cream on the side.