My Grandmothers Potato Latkes Recipes

MY GRANDMOTHER'S POTATO LATKES

Steps:

• Peel the potatoes, if your not going to use them right away, put them in a bowl and cover them with cold water.
• Grate the potatoes into a bowl, It really doesn't matter which holes of the grater you use. Larger holes are the only ones that will do the job some people think, since they produce crunchier latkes. Others insist on using medium sized holes for smoother latkes, It's up to you, watch your knuckles though.
• Grate the onion into the same bowl. Of course peel the skin off first.
• Get rid of the liquid that has collected in the bowl.
• Beat the eggs in another bowl and then add to the potato/onion mixture.
• Add the flour, salt and pepper, Mix well.
• Turn oven on to 250°F This is so you can keep the first latkes you fry warm while your cooking the rest.
• Pour enough salad oil into the bottom of a large frying pan so it's about 1/4 inch deep. Heat the oil, and keep it hot at medium to medium high heat. Put a tablespoon of the batter into the oil and press it with a slotted pancake turner to a thin pancake. Do as many as these as the pan will hold. Each latke gets turned once.
• You can tell when they're ready to turn because the edges get brown. You should cook the latkes so they're golden brown and crisp on each side. As they're done, put them in a shallow pan lined with some paper towels and keep them warm in the oven. I serve them with applesauce -- Enjoy!

MANDY PATINKIN'S MOM'S POTATO LATKES

Steps:

• Peel potatoes and onion. (If not using immediately, place in cold water.) Grate with the shredding blade of food processor.
• Put grated potatoes in a large strainer and press out liquid. Pour cold water over the potatoes and press out liquid once more. Transfer to large mixing bowl. Add onions.
• Beat eggs and egg whites until thick. Add to potatoes and onions. Add flour or matzo meal, baking powder, and seasonings. Mix well.
• Heat oil in frying pan. When ready, drop batter by large soup spoonfuls to form oval shapes. Fry over moderate to high heat until brown on one side; turn to brown other side. Remove from frying pan and drain on paper towels.
• Serve with sour cream or applesauce.

CLASSIC POTATO LATKES

Steps:

• Add the onions to a food processor and process with the standard blade until smooth. Add the eggs and process until light in color. Add the golden consomme and white pepper and blend on high until you have an even mush with no pieces of onion visible. Transfer the onion mush to a mixing bowl.
• Peel the potatoes and cut a third of them into quarters. Put the quartered potatoes in the food processor and blend until an even mush is achieved. Add the potato mush to the mixing bowl.
• This is a good time to start heating your frying pan(s) on very low heat with NO OIL!
• Switch to the food processor shredding disc and shred the remaining potatoes in batches if necessary. Before you add the shredded potatoes to the mixing bowl, take the potatoes by the handful and squeeze out as much water as possible over the sink. Add the squeezed potatoes to the mixing bowl--breaking them apart as you add them--and mix them in after every 2 to 3 handfuls. This will help evenly incorporate the mush and shreds for a consistent batter that is seasoned evenly as well. Use your strong spoon! Add 3/4 cup flour and mix; the batter is the right consistency when you don't see a lot of water collecting across the top. Add more flour a bit at a time, just enough to not have a watery mix.
• Turn the pan(s) up to medium-high or high heat (for a heavier pan). When a drop of water in the pan sizzles and pops, the pan is hot enough to add about 3/4 inch of oil. Heat the oil to between 375 and 400 degrees F.
• Before you start a big batch, make a few "tester latkes" to taste so you can adjust the seasoning. How many you make will depend on how many "experts" you have hanging around waiting for a "tester."
• Know the size of latke you want to make. I make larger ones if they are part of a meal and smaller ones if they are being served as an appetizer or being sent to school for a holiday party. Smaller ones should be about 1 tablespoon and larger ones should be about a serving spoon of batter.
• Think to yourself "thin and crispy" while you spoon the batter into the pan and flatten. Don't crowd the pan. The shredded edges may touch, but that's ok.
• Cook the latkes until the bottoms are golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes on the first side. You can't rush perfection--the middle has to cook. Don't make the heat so high that the outside burns but the middle is uncooked. Put on your favorite music or have someone you love keep you company!
• Flip when the bottoms are golden brown. Flipping tip: Putting a spatula under the latke using your dominant hand and a fork on top of the latke with your other hand will give you a controlled flip that won't splash you with oil. Cook on the second side until the bottoms are golden brown, another 3 to 4 minutes.
• Line a baking dish with paper towels. Place the cooked latkes on the lined baking dish on their sides (like a tray of Oreos); this will let the oil drain and keep them from getting soggy. If you have a lot of counter space, feel free to use a wire rack and then stack sideways. Foods cooked in oil are a part of the Chanukah story.
• Mix the batter before each batch to keep everything well incorporated. Repeat and repeat and repeat and beware "experts" looking for more "testers." If you need to add more oil to the pans, do it between batches and give it a minute to heat up. The latkes can be kept in a low oven to keep warm or the baking dish can be put in the oven at 350 degrees F to heat from room temperature. Serve with sour cream and chives or homemade applesauce.
• B'tayavon (Bon Appetit).

KAY DEE'S RECIPE FOR POTATO LATKES

Steps:

• Place the potatoes and onion into a bowl, and stir in eggs, salt, and flour as needed to make the mixture hold together. With wet hands, scoop up about 1/3 cup of the mixture per patty, and form into flat round or oval shapes.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, and gently place the patties into the hot oil. Fry until the bottoms are golden brown and crisp, 5 to 8 minutes, then flip with a spatula and fry the other side until golden.
• Line a colander or strainer with 2 paper towels, and drain the cooked latkes in the colander. Serve hot.

MOM'S POTATO LATKES

Steps:

• Mix potato, onion, eggs, crackers, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl.
• Pour enough vegetable oil into a skillet to fill about 1/2-inch deep; heat over medium-high heat.
• Drop spoonfuls of the potato mixture, first pressing potato mixture against the side of the bowl to remove excess liquid, into the hot oil; slightly flatten the latkes into the oil with the back of your spoon so they are evenly thick.
• Cook in hot oil until browned and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Drain latkes on a plate lined with a paper towel.

TRADITIONAL POTATO LATKES

Steps:

• Over a large bowl of cold water, grate potatoes into long strips, using the largest holes of a box grater. Transfer grated potatoes from water into another bowl. Pour off water from first bowl, reserving sediment. Add sediment to potatoes.
• Add eggs, onion, and scallion greens. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well by hand.
• Fill a large heavy-bottomed frying pan with 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch of oil until very hot, about 385 degrees.
• Drop 1 heaping tablespoonful of potato mixture into the pan. Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes; the pan should hold five or six latkes per batch. Turn latkes over, and cook on the other side until golden brown, about another 3 minutes.
• Latkes can be transferred to a baking sheet and kept warm in a 200 degrees.oven for up to a half hour before serving.

LAURA'S POTATO LATKES RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Peel the potatoes, adding them to a large bowl filled with water as you work to prevent browning.
• Dry the potatoes, then shred on the large holes of a box grater into a large. Shred the onion into the same bowl on the small holes of the box grater.
• Transfer the potato mixture to a nut milk bag or a clean kitchen towel and squeeze tightly over the bowl to wring out any excess liquid. Set the liquid aside to let the starch settle to the bottom of the bowl, then carefully pour off the liquid on top, leaving the potato starch in the bottom of the bowl.
• In a clean large bowl, combine the shredded potatoes and onions, potato starch, 1 egg, salt, and pepper and gently mix to combine. If the mixture seems too dry and crumbly, add another egg. Add 1 tablespoon matzo ball mix and stir to incorporate, adding up to 1 tablespoon more matzo ball mix if the mixture isn't holding together.
• Pour the oil into a large pan to reach a depth of ¼ inch. Heat over medium heat. Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, add the potato mixture to the pan, gently pressing down to the desired thickness. Add another scoop or two of the potato mixture, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the edges begin to crisp and the bottom is golden brown. Carefully flip the latkes and cook for another 3-4 minutes, until golden brown on the other side. Transfer to a wire rack and season with salt. Repeat with the remaining latkes.
• Serve with applesauce and sour cream.
• Enjoy!

CLASSIC POTATO LATKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Place 2 baking sheets in oven. Line large bowl with towel. Finely grind potatoes and onion in processor (do not puree). Transfer to towel. Fold towel up around mixture; twist top, squeezing out all liquid into bowl. Let liquid stand 5 minutes. Pour off liquid, reserving any potato starch in bowl. Add potatoes to bowl. Mix in egg, flour, salt, pepper and baking powder.
• Heat 6 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, drop 1 heaping tablespoon batter per pancake into hot oil. Using back of spoon, spread to 2 1/2- to 3-inch rounds. Cook until brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to baking sheets in oven. Repeat with remaining batter, spooning off any liquid from surface of batter and adding more oil to skillet by tablespoonfuls as necessary. Serve hot.

POTATO LATKES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine egg, meal, 1/8t.
• salt and a dash pepper.
• Rinse potatoes; pat dry with paper towels.
• Stir potatoes and onion into egg mixture.
• In a large skillet, heat 1/4c.
• cooking oil over med.
• heat.
• For each latke, spoon about 2T.
• batter into the hot oil; spread to make a circle about 2 1/2" in diameter.
• Cook for about 2 1/2 minutes or until golden brown; turn and cook on the other side the same amount of time.
• Add more oil during the cooking as necessary.
• Drain on paper towels and serve with applesauce or sour cream.
• Makes approximately 32 latkes.