Crispy Potato Latkes

three latkes stacked on a plate with a dollop of applesauce

5 from 1 vote

Golden and crispy on the outside, tender on the inside—these potato latkes are everything a perfect latke should be! Made with grated potatoes and a hint of onion, there is tradition in every bite. Serve them hot with a dollop of applesauce or sour cream for a Hanukkah favorite that’s sure to please.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: jewish

Servings: people

Calories: 182kcal

Author: Marni Katz

Equipment

Food Processor

Ingredients

5 lbs potatoes (Russet or Yukon Gold)
1 large yellow onion
4 eggs (3 whole eggs + 1 egg white)
3 TB flour
1 TB sugar
salt and pepper to taste
neutral oil (for frying)

Instructions

Prep your workspace

In a large frying pan, pour in the oil, enough to fully cover the bottom of the pan. Don’t turn on the heat just yet. Next, measure the salt, pepper, sugar and flour into a small prep bowl. This will allow you to work fast once everything is combined.

Grate the potatoes and onion

With the large holes on the grating plate, process the potatoes and onion into the same food processor bowl. Once everything is grated, squeeze it out really well, getting of some of the moisture that is released during shredding

Mix the latke batter

Put the squeezed potato and onions in a large mixing bowl, add the small bowl full of the rest of the ingredients and the eggs, and stir it all together gently.

Fry the latkes

Now turn on the stove to medium high heat and let your pan get hot.
Into the hot oil, put spoonful's of the potato mixture, being sure not to crowd the pan. I like to press them down a bit so they aren’t heaped in the middle.
Fry them until they are brown on the edges, flip them once until they are well browned underneath and move them to a paper towel lined plate.
Sprinkle with a bit of coarse salt if desired, and be careful not to burn your mouth when you go in for the first bite.

Notes

You can easily make these changes as needed to keep things simple in your kitchen:

Make them Gluten-Free: Swap the flour or matzo meal for a gluten free all purpose flour.
Use frozen shredded potatoes: Grab a bag of frozen shredded potatoes (sometimes labeled as hash browns), let them defrost and use as a direct swap for the potatoes.

Storage Tips:

Store in an airtight container with parchment paper separating the layers.
To reheat just a few, I would use the toaster oven.
To reheat many, line a baking sheet with foil and heat the potato latkes in the oven in one layer. You want the latkes to get back the crisp texture that they had straight from the frying pan.

Nutrition