Latkes

Today needed Latkes. Its the beginning of summer so there is little chance of finding latkes in any of our deli’s here. When we lived in Indianapolis anytime I wanted latkes we were able to run over to Milktooth who keeps them on the menu all year with delicious toppings. So far since moving to Dallas I have only found them at Cindi’s Deli. They are pretty solid and simple but felt more like a perfectly formed round thick hash brown and didn’t have all the craggy bits that I love. Keep it traditional and you can serve with sour cream or applesauce but can also pull seasonal fruits and peppers or herbs.

Ingredients

3 medium golden potatoes

1 medium onion

2 large eggs

1/2 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Vegetable Oil

Using a box grater shred the potatoes and onion and place in a bowl lined with kitchen towel. You can also go ahead and put a pan on the stove over medium high heat. Fill with a bout a half inch of vegetable oil.

Squeeze all the excess liquid from the potatoes and onions. There is always a lot more than I would expect. These onions were especially potent today so I was basically just standing there weeping while grating them and squeezing out the liquid. If you have goggles laying around… you might want to use them. Discard the liquid and then put the potatoes and onion into the bowl.

Next add flour, eggs, baking powder, salt and pepper. Mix. I just use my hands to make sure there are no onion or potato lumps and I feel like it is faster than a spatula.

Once oil is heated (test this by placing a potato shred in the oil and see if it immediately starts bubbling) you are ready to form and cook the latkes. I do this by taking a handful of the potato batter and patting it out loosely in my hands. It’ll look like a soupy mess but then I just slide them into the oil and use the back of a spoon to press the middle down and even out. I like mine on the thinner side so it only takes 3-4 minutes per side for it to be golden brown and soft in the middle.

Place on wire cooling rack and sprinkle with more salt. Serve warm. Today I added Apricots, jalapeño, and a little honey.