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- Incorporating both riced and grated potatoes makes for latkes that are creamy inside but deliciously crispy.
- Two kinds of potatoes — waxy Yukon Golds and fluffy baking potatoes like Russets — also contribute to the ideal texture.
- According to Andrew Zimmern, “These Jewish potato pancakes are so good that posting the recipe alone is a mitzvah (blessing) of the highest order.”
“Growing up, we ate a lot of potato pancakes at Hanukkah,” says chef Andrew Zimmern. His latke recipe combines two approaches to the classic dish, mixing grated and finely chopped baking potatoes with boiled, riced Yukon Golds. Then pan fry the patties in batches, and the result is both creamy and deliciously crispy. “Every year at our house, we have a Hanukkah night when we invite the neighbors and stand around the kitchen shoving these hot, crispy little beauties into our mouths,” Zimmern says.
Hanukkah is for frying
“The Festival of Lights,” another term for Hanukkah, “refers to a lamp in the temple that was supposed to have only enough oil to last the Maccabees one night, but instead lasted for eight,” Zimmern explains. The miracle occurred after the Maccabees, Jewish rebels, had defeated their occupiers: Greeks who had invaded Jerusalem and attempted to forcibly assimilate the population into Hellenistic culture. “But the holiday celebrates the miracle of the oil, not the military victory,” Zimmern notes, “so fried foods are often featured at Hanukkah feasts.”
How to get the crispiest latkes
Be sure to both wring out the grated potatoes with a kitchen towel and press the potato-and-onion mixture after it’s been chopped in the food processor. Squeezing the moisture out is crucial for making sure the latkes hold together and fry up nicely for maximum crisp.
Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen
Russet potatoes are especially well-suited to latkes, as they are starchy and lower in moisture; they’re a great option for the baking potatoes used in this recipe.
