Reading through your answers about favorite Chanukah foods on my “A Great Miracle Happened There” giveaway post has me very excited for some yummy Chanukah foods. (Though, truthfully, it’s not too hard to get me pumped up for fried foods!)
While I love any latke that someone else makes (when I make them, I feel like I’m cleaning the oil splatters for weeks), my favorites are sweet potato latkes.
It has taken me a while to find the perfect latke recipe – I originally tried to make them with only sweet potatoes, but that didn’t taste quite right. I tried adding in other veggies, but that also was missing something. Then, I happened on this Food Network latke recipe and was in love.
I like to go a little high brow sometimes and eat these with an aioli (garlic mayo), but any of your traditional toppings will work as well.
Sweet Potato Latkes
Adapted from the Food Network recipe here. Among other things, I doubled their recipe to serve 4.
Ingredients
1 medium yellow onion
2 large potatos – they recommend Yukon Gold
2 medium to large sweet potatos
4 T all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch cayenne (optional)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Vegetable oil
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F to keep latkes warm in between batches.
- Grate the onion on a box grater into a large bowl. (I have tried making my life easier and doing this in a food processor, It’s not as good.)
- Grate both potatoes and sweet potatoes into the same bowl, grating down the length of the potato to get long strands. This is truly the key to the whole thing. It’s such a genius idea!
- Toss the potatoes with the onions to prevent them from discoloring.
- Place potato/sweet potato mixture in a clean dish towel (I use the “bar mops” – they are huge and thin, and I got them for $1/package at Walmart) and wring out excess liquid.
- Toss mixture with flour, salt, and cayenne. Stir in the egg.
- Heat a 1/4-inch oil in a large cast iron or other heavy skillet over medium heat.
- Spoon 1/4 cup of mixture into the skillet and flatten with the spatula.
- Turn only once and cook until gold brown on both sides.
- Place on an oven-safe dish and keep warm in the oven. Food Network recommends placing on a cooling rack to keep them crispier.
I like to serve the latkes sprinkled with chives, alongside a delicate aioli for dipping. But you can definitely eat these however you prefer your latkes – sour cream, apple sauce, etc.
Okay, guys: Now it’s your turn! I cannot wait to learn about all the inventive or tried-and-true methods you use for making your favorite latkes. Please share your recipes in the comments section, or feel free to link up to a latke post on your blog if you have one!
When I was living in the UK, a friend and I had an annual fry-up, creating wild and wonderful fried food, from onions rings to battered and fried Mars Bars. This year I’ve been thinking of healthier alternatives and plan to try to bake, not fry, a parsnip latke. If it turns out well, I will share the link! Thanks for starting to think about chanuka so early, you’ve put me in a good mood.
Here’s my parsnip latke – I don’t know how it would turn out baked, but that’s a great idea to give it a shot:
http://glutenfreebay.blogspot.com/2006/12/confetti-latkes-parsnip-and-carrot.html
So, I get that the point of latkes is to be fried in oil, miracle of oil, etc. But…I like to be healthy. And also, lazy. So my latke “recipe” is pathetic: Buy a box (or several, different flavors, etc) of Manischewitz or other latke mix. Also buy a canister of mashed potatoes flakes. Prepare the latke mix according to the directions, but add in 1/2 c to 1 c of mashed potato flakes per box of latke mix, for extra potato-y flavor (even if it’s a sweet potato or vegetable latke mix). Let the mixture set for a lot longer than it says on the box. Like, an hour or two.
Line a baking sheet with a silpat and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Scoop batter by 1/4 cups (or use a serving spoon) onto the prepared baking sheet, and flatten with the back of a spoon or with your fingers. Spray with oil spray, if desired. Bake about 10 min, then flip with a spatula and bake another 5-7 min.
I also get cups of flavored applesauces – berry, mango, whatever I can find. Also sour cream, caviar (my kosher store sells small jars of caviar for like $3.95), etc.
Yes, it’s totally cheating and defeats the purpose of fried food. But I feel less guilty eating them!
mara, i’m with you — if someone else makes latkes, i always prefer a less labor intensive gastronomic experience; that said, IF you DO decide to take the oily plunge this year, there are 2 suggestions to make it slightly easier; One, use “simply potatoes” shredded potatoes (with the current coupons and sales, of course) making an easy shortcut to quick latkes (not as tasty as from scratch, but definitely worth a try); Two, line your oven surfaces with foil to protect from splatters and make clean up a snap.