Crispy Latkes Recipes

CREAMY CRISPY LATKES WITH GARLIC CUMIN SOUR CREAM

Steps:

• For the garlic cumin sour cream: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Slice the garlic horizontally, drizzle with olive oil and wrap in tin foil. Place in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove, cool and mash the cloves into a paste. While the garlic is cooking, get a small saute pan hot over medium-low heat and toast the cumin seeds for a couple of minutes until fragrant. Then either grind up the toasted cumin in a spice grinder or chop with a knife until fine. Mix the sour cream with the toasted cumin, parsley and the roasted garlic. Reserve.
• For the latkes: Fill a pot three-quarters of the way up with water and add the potatoes. Bring the water to a boil, and then turn down the heat to a low boil. Boil until the potatoes are completely cooked (a knife slides in very easily), 20 to 30 minutes.
• While the potatoes are boiling, heat up a pan over medium heat with 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Saute the leeks with the garlic until soft with no color. Season well with salt and pepper, lower the heat to medium-low and cook for another 3 minutes. Then take off the heat.
• Once the potatoes are ready, place in a large bowl and mix in the sauteed leek mixture, nutmeg, the remaining 5 tablespoons butter and the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper, and reserve.
• Whisk the eggs in a shallow bowl or dish and set aside. Add the breadcrumbs and the flour to two separate plates. Season the flour well with salt and pepper.
• Roll a ball with the potato mixture that easily fits in the palms of your hands, about 2 tablespoons, and flatten slightly to make a patty. You don't want them too thick or too big. Dredge the potato patty with the flour, shaking off the excess. Dunk in the eggs and then coat with the breadcrumbs.
• Get a large pan hot over medium-high heat, add an inch of canola oil and fry when the temperature reaches 350 degrees F. Remove from oil when the latkes are golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve hot with the garlic cumin sour cream.

FOOLPROOF POTATO LATKES

Steps:

• Place 1/4 of the potatoes, onion, eggs, salt, flour, and baking powder in the work bowl of a food processor; pulse several times until the vegetables are finely chopped. Add the rest of the potatoes, and pulse again until all the potatoes are finely chopped and the mixture is thoroughly combined.
• Heat canola oil in a skillet over medium heat. Scoop up about 1/3 cup of the potato mixture per latke, and place into the hot oil. Fry the patty until brown and crisp on the bottom, flip it, and cook the other side until brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Repeat with the rest of the potato mixture, replenishing the oil as needed. Serve hot.

CRISPY POTATO LATKES

Steps:

• Using a box grater, coarsely grate the potatoes lengthwise, and grate onions.
• Put the grated potatoes and onions together in cheesecloth or a towel and twist it to squeeze out all the excess liquid.
• Put the dry potatoes and onions in a bowl and season with salt and pepper to personal preference.
• Fold in the egg whites and chives to bind the mixture together.
• Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat and coat with 1/4 inch of oil.
• For each pancake, take about 2Tblsp of the potatoe mixture and drop into the hot oil; gently flatten with a spatula so they fry up thin and crispy.
• Fry for 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden.
• Remove to paper towels to drain, season with salt while the potato pancakes are still hot.
• Continue frying rest of mixture, adding more oil as needed, until all of the mixture is used up.
• Serve immediately with desired condiment (applesauce or sour cream), if desired.
• This recipe yields (about) 20 pancakes (4")each in size.

CRISPY POTATO LATKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large mixing bowl with a clean dish towel. Position the box grater in the bowl and grate the potatoes and onion using the largest holes. Bundle the towel and wring out the excess water into the bowl. The more moisture you release, the crispier the latkes will be. Discard the liquid.
• Heat duck fat, schmaltz, or oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering (about 350 degrees F). Meanwhile, in a large bowl mix grated potatoes and onion with 2 eggs, flour, matzo meal, and salt until there's no visible flour. If the mixture seems dry and it's not holding together, add one more egg.
• Using your hands, form the latke mixture into golf ball-sized balls, then flatten slightly into thick pancakes. Gently place them one at a time into the oil, which should bubble around the latke but not burn the edges. Fill the pan with just enough latkes so they don't overcrowd the pan (you'll probably get about a half-batch in). Fry until golden on one side, 1-2 minutes. Flip and fry the other side until golden, 1-2 more minutes.
• Remove latkes to a wire rack fitted over a parchment-lined baking sheet. Finish cooking the inside by baking, 10-12 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with sour cream and applesauce.