Lacy Fried Potato Pancakes
In lieu of witty banter, let’s just cut to the chase. You came here for the perfect fried latkes, and there’s a science to that. I’ll give you the Cliff’s Notes with these simple tips:
1) Timesaver Alert! There is no need to peel your potatoes before shredding. Once their fried golden brown, no one will taste the difference.
2) Moisture is the enemy of crispy potatoes, which is why this recipe calls for squeezing and draining your grated spuds.
3) When you wring out your potatoes, toss the water, but save the starch! It's one of the best binders for your batter. Hint: it’s the hardened sludge-like substance that sticks to the bottom of your bowl after draining.
4) Sure, grated onions will disperse evenly, but they also release more moisture into the latke batter (even after straining) which means they don't brown as well. Larger pieces of chopped onion release less moisture and take on a sweeter caramelized flavor as they fry. BONUS!
5) Don't add salt to your batter until you're ready to fry. Otherwise, the salt will draw out the moisture and water it down - which makes for heavy, lifeless latkes that don't fry as well.
6) The first latke right out of the oil is the best one. Eat it standing up in your kitchen just to make sure it’s not poisonous.
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YOU GOT THIS! Happy Hanukkah!
Lacy Fried Potato Pancakes (aka latkes)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds russet potatoes, washed and scrubbed clean
- 1 large yellow onion, small dice
- 2 eggs
- 2/3 cups matzo meal
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- about 24oz canola or peanut oil, for frying
- applesauce or sour cream, for dipping
Instructions
- Shred the potatoes with the grating disk attachment in your food processor. Working in batches, wrap a handful or two of the grated potatoes on top of double layer cheesecloth or place inside of a nut bag. Put a large bowl in the sink so you can catch all the excess liquid as you squeeze the potatoes dry over the bowl. Don’t worry...you’ll need this bowl of potato water in a second.
- Transfer the potatoes to a bowl and repeat the process until they have all been squeezed dry. Add the diced onion to the potatoes. Mix in the eggs, matzo meal and salt.
- As the drained potato water sits, a pool of brown water will form on top of a thick slurry of pale potato starch. Carefully drain off water, then mix the hardened starch slurry into the potato, onion, matzo meal mixture with your hands.
- Heat about ½ inch oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. You’ll know it’s ready when you toss a shred of the potato mixture into the pan and it immediately sizzles. Form about ¼ cup’s worth of latke mix into a packed disk in your palms. Carefully slide the patty into the hot oil and fry until a golden-brown crust forms on bottom, then flip until the same color is achieved on the other side. You can fit about 7 in a large pan at one time, being careful not to overcrowd. Once the latkes are golden browned on both sides, transfer to a sheet tray lined with two layers of paper towel until cooled. Repeat.
- If you need to make them ahead of serving time, fried latkes can be held in a 200°F oven to keep warm.
Equipment:
Food processor with the shredder attachment
2 large bowls
2 large saute pans
Cheesecloth, a nut milk bag or a thin dishrag