Golden brown potato latkes can easily be made from scratch at home before your holiday celebration. Mix together the grated potatoes and onions with a simple egg base and fry them in oil. Once cooled, they can be stored for later and just reheated before serving.
PREP TIME 25 minutesminutes
COOK TIME 40 minutesminutes
TOTAL TIME 1 hourhour5 minutesminutes
YIELD 18latkes
Ingredients
4eggs
1tablespoonkosher salt
1teaspoonfresh cracked black pepper
1cupflour
2teaspoonsbaking powder
2onions
4large Russet potatoeswashed
Olive oil or Canola oil for frying
Instructions
Prepare the Potatoes
In order to prevent the potatoes from turning color, it is important to mix together the latke mixture very quickly. Start by preparing the filling ingredients in the largest mixing bowl you have.
Crack the eggs and add the salt, pepper, flour, and baking powder to the bowl. You do not need to mix them together, just set them aside while you prepare the vegetables.
Peel the onions and cut them into halves. Run them through a food processor fitted with the coarse grate disc.
Roughly peel the potatoes, it is ok if a little skin remains. Cut them into quarters and run them through the food processor.
Pour all the grated veggies into a strainer in the sink and rinse them with cold water. Shake the strainer to drain as much liquid as you can.
Return the food processor bowl to the base of the machine and place the circular blade inside. Add about half of the potato-onion mixture back to the food processor and pulse it for 10 pulses. Mix the extra-grated veggies back into the strainer. This gives the latkes a nice hand-grated texture.
Working in batches, spin two - three handfuls of veggies in a salad spinner to remove as much liquid as possible. Drain and spin once more. Pour the veggies into the prepared mixing bowl and repeat until all the potatoes have been spun.
Quickly mix together the potato mixture with the eggs and flour using a large spatula. Continue to stir and fold it together until all the potatoes and onions are coated in egg and flour.
Fry the Latkes
In a large skillet over medium-high heat pour 1/4 cup of cooking oil. Once the oil is shimmering, use a 1/4 cup metal measuring cup to portion out a latke. Turn it over into the pan and use a spatula to flatten it into shape. Repeat until the pan is filled with latkes that still have 1 inch of space around each side. My 8-inch skillet could only fit two or three without over crowding the pan.
Once the first side is golden brown, use a spatula to flip the latkes over and brown the other side. 8 - 10 minutes total.
Transfer the cooked latkes to a plate lined with paper towel to drain some of the oil.
Make Ahead Tips
Once the latkes are golden brown, they should be served immediately with a sprinkle of salt and on a platter with sour cream and applesauce for topping.
If you prefer to make them ahead, line a large baking pan with parchment paper and lay the latkes out in a single layer. Let them cool completely and then cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and bake the latkes until heated through and crispy before serving, about 5 minutes.
Freezing Tips
Completely cooled latkes can be frozen with layers of parchment or wax paper in between the layers to prevent them from sticking to one another. Store in an air-tight container.
Thaw in the fridge overnight or bake directly from frozen until heated through and crispy.
Recipe Notes
The times listed for frying and reheating in the oven are based on 1/4 cup portions of latke mixture flattened about 1/4 inch thick. If your latkes are thicker or larger, times should be adjusted accordingly.