Joey's Famous Latkes
To be honest, I’m not the hugest potato fan. It’s an easy food for me to pass over. But when it comes to latkes it’s another story. Not to toot my own horn but I make DELICIOUS latkes! I look forward to eating them every year. We’ve even been know to make them at least one or two times during the year as it just feels like too long a wait for Chanukah each year.
I have a couple of secret weapons when it comes to latkes and if you take heed, you too can make the best latkes around town.
First, hand grate them using the medium grate of a 6 sided box grater, like this one (your local Ace Hardware is a good place to find one similar). I know it’s old fashioned but trust me on this one and you can thank me later.
My second tip is also key... Fry them in pastured duck fat. When I tell people this, I generally get two responses. One, they look at me like I’m crazy or two, they think it’s incredibly indulgent. If you have either reaction, head over to my post about healthy fats to get the skinny on why you shouldn’t be scared. Then come back and get your latkes on.
Ingredients
9 lbs of potatoes (I use a mix of Yukon gold, red and russets in equal amounts)
2 eggs
1 medium/large onion
Sea salt to taste (about 2-3 teaspoons)
Pastured duck fat for frying
Directions
Peel and grate the potatoes and onion with your box grater into a large mixing bowl. Transfer to a large colander and with your hands, mix in the salt. Place over a large bowl. The potatoes and onion will release a lot of liquid. Squeeze (HARD) as much liquid as you can out of the potatoes and onion.
In a large bowl, beat together the eggs. Add the potato and onions to the bowl with the eggs. Mix well. Your hands are your best tool for this ;) You will notice sediment at the bottom of your bowl. This is potato starch. Mix this in with your batter as you continue to strain excess liquid as it accumulates.
In a large skillet, heat about 1 cup of the duck fat over medium heat. To test if it’s hot enough, drop in a shred of potato. It should sizzle right away.
Once the oil is hot enough, form the potato mixture with your hands into your desired sized latkes, squeezing the excess liquid over your batter bowl, then carefully place into your pan to avoid splatter.
Cook until the edges are brown. Flip, and cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown.
Add more duck fat as needed, making sure you let it get hot again before adding our next batch.
Transfer to a sheet pan lined with parchment and place is an oven heated to 350 degrees to keep warm.
Serve with apple sauce and sour cream.
