Shockingly Crisp Baked Latkes Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep latke batter from turning brown? ›

I will have to travel with them for two hours and latkes are only good as soon as you fry them. What can I do to keep the potato batter from turning brown? A: When shredding the potatoes be sure to add some acidity (such as a teaspoon of white wine vinegar or concentrated lemon juice to the water.

Or, you can grate the potatoes hours ahead and store them submerged in water in the refrigerator. Drain them well and make the batter up to two hours ahead. (It doesn't matter if it discolors– when you fry them the latkes turn a beautiful golden brown). Fry the latkes no more than an hour or two ahead of serving.

Tradition says so. Latkes are usually served at dinnertime along with a meaty main, like brisket. Mixing milk and meat at the same meal is a no-no for those who keep kosher, so sour cream would be out as a latke condiment leaving the underdog apple sauce victorious.

Vegetable oil or canola oil is usually best, because of its high smoking point. Latkes were traditionally made with schmaltz, or chicken fat, so if you have access to it, you should certainly add it in, because it does contribute to the flavor.

Don't touch and let them develop a good crust! Flip and give the other side some time too! If the latke mixture starts to get soggy, give it a squeeze before adding it to the pan. Place the latkes on a rack set over a baking sheet to keep them crispy.

Potato pancakes have a creamy, almost mashed-potato-like center, with a thin, golden, crisp exterior. Latkes, on the other hand, should have a deeply browned crust, with wispy, lacy edges. Latkes also aren't hash browns.

– Always serve latkes hot and fresh if possible.

When ready to reheat, place in a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes (7 if using a convection oven) until heated through just prior to serving. A convection oven setting will produce a more crispy result.

Using schmaltz, aka rendered chicken fat, is the traditional way to fry latkes, imparting a rich flavor to the potato pancakes. Canola and peanut oil are more popular and widely available, while some experts also tout olive oil, a more controversial pick.

Its Modern Hebrew name, levivah (לְבִיבָה levivá), plural levivot, is a revival of a word used in the Book of Samuel to describe a dumpling made from kneaded dough, part of the story of Amnon and Tamar.

Potato latkes are a more recent Ashkenazi invention that gained popularity in Eastern Europe during the mid 1800? s. A series of crop failures in Poland and the Ukraine led to mass planting of potatoes, which were easy and cheap to grow. But before potatoes came on the scene, the latke of choice was cheese.

Can Jews eat mashed potatoes? ›

Mashed potatoes don't need lots of fat to be delicious. Also, I used Yukon Gold potatoes which make especially creamy mashed potatoes. Another option is to substitute the dairy with broth and margarine in order to serve the mashed potatoes with meat at a kosher meal.

These potato pancakes (called latkes) are meant to symbolize the miracle of Hanukkah, when the oil of the menorah in the ransacked Second Temple of Jerusalem was able to stay aflame for eight days even though there was only enough oil for one day. The symbolism comes in the form of the oil in which latkes are fried.

Officially, though, a latke is simply a pancake—the word itself comes, via Yiddish, from a Russian word meaning "little pancake." Latkes can in fact be made from almost any vegetable, bean, cheese, or grain.

Latkes are very similar to the rösti, but also incorporate egg and flour into the pancakes, and are pan-fried in canola oil instead of clarified butter. How do I get my rösti super crispy? Frying in clarified butter is what gives the rösti its beautifully crip exterior while the interior remains buttery.

Pre-Mix: Prep latke batter and keep in a sealable container in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.

When you grate raw potatoes, you release starch that can cause them to oxidize, or turn dark. The best way to keep that from happening is to cover the potatoes with cold water, then drain them very well and pat them dry before cooking.

Expert Home Tips says that pancake batter containing dairy and flour should last two to four days in the refrigerator. This depends, of course, on the expiration date of the eggs and milk used to make the batter. Pancake batter is best stored in an airtight container or resealable bag to retain freshness.

As your dough stores in the refrigerator, it might develop a uniform gray discoloration and liquid on its surface or at the bottom of the bucket. This is not mold and can be safely ignored (scroll down to the bottom of this page for instructions on how to recognize mold).