There’s no other time of year when frying feels so right.
The oil of Hanukkah legend burned for eight nights, which is why we celebrate with fried, oily foods. Donuts, oil cakes, schnitzel — all have become Hanukkah staples that Jews today look forward to each year. But still, nothing really says “Hanukkah” like fried potatoes.
The original latkes were made of fried cheese, a medieval Italian-Jewish tradition that soon spread all over Europe. But by the mid-1800s the much cheaper and easier-to-come-by potato won out, and the modern latke was born.
And while good old russet potato latkes will always have a place at our Hanukkah table, sweet potato latkes have become a recent obsession in my home. They have a formidable crunch and a salty-sweet kick that my children adore — and that makes the lights of Hanukkah shine brighter for all of us.
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Ingredients
1 pound sweet potatoes, washed, dried and grated (skin on)
1 medium onion, chopped (about 8 ounces)
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup matzo meal (or flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Pepper to taste
Canola oil
Directions
- Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Add in chopped onions and grated potatoes, and mix well.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder and pepper. Add dry ingredients to the potato mixture and stir to combine.
- Heat about half-an- inch of canola oil in a cast-iron pan on medium-high heat and wait a few minutes.
- Scoop latke mix in heaping tablespoons and
- Plop in a string of potato and if it sizzles, the oil is ready. Gently place latkes in the oil and flatten with a heat-resistant spatula.
- After 5-7 minutes, when the bottom is deep golden brown but not burnt, gently flip the latkes by turning them away from you toward the outer edge of the pan.
- After another 3-4 minutes, when all sides are a nice golden brown, remove latkes and drain on a paper-towel lined plate or baking pan.
- Eat them hot, with your choice of sauce or dip. Applesauce and sour cream are traditional, but latkes go with everything. We adore Adeena Sussman’s Green and Gold Tahini.
START TO FINISH: 1 HOUR. MAKES 10-12 LATKES.
STEP-BY-STEP PHOTOS AND INSTRUCTIONS:
Chop onion.
Grate washed and dried potatoes with the skin on. (I like a shoestring box grater, but food processors are wonderfully time efficient and they make a delicate, uniform grate. ) White or orange sweet potatoes work; just note that the white sweet potatoes will be drier.
Meanwhile, combine your matzo meal or flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and mix well.
Beat your eggs in a large bowl.
Mix in the potatoes and onions. Then add the dry ingredients and combine well.
Using heaping tablespoons, shape your latkes on a plate.
Heat canola oil in a cast-iron or heavy-duty, stainless-steel skillet over medium-high heat. You want about half-an-inch of oil, enough to lap at the sides of your latkes. After a few minutes, drop in a piece of potato, and if it sizzles, the oil is ready.
Turn down the heat to medium, then gently flatten each latke with your spatula to ensure even cooking.
After 5-7 minutes, when the latkes are turning golden brown, use your spatula to carefully turn latkes toward the outside edge of your pan and let them gently slide onto the other side. (Adjust temperature whenever necessary.)
After another 3-4 minutes, remove latkes from the pan and drain on a paper-towel lined plate or a baking pan.
NOTES:
•Don’t judge your latkes by cooking time alone. Because different pans hold heat at different rates and every burner is different, it’s important to watch your latkes and adjust the temperature — maybe often — as you cook.
•Lots of tiny bubbles everywhere is a sign your oil is too hot, and it’s time to lower the temp to avoid burning the latkes.
•Because sweet potatoes are drier than russet potatoes, you may notice more rogue potato strings floating in your pan. You can use your spatula to gently coax them back to the mother latke, but don’t sweat it too much.
