Collective
escape
Best latkes
ever
DAHLIA HEYMAN
┃
Who didn’t grow up loving latkes? They are salty and crunchy, and starchy and soft, all at the same time. I have very vivid memories of helping my mother make latkes as a child. How wondrous but complicated it all seemed—the tedious straining, fears about oxidation. Was the oil too hot? Were they overcooked? Undercooked? And then, one year, she’d had enough. She came home with a box of Manischewitz-brand powdered latkes, and so ended one of the great rituals of my childhood. The latkes were never undercooked or oxidized again. They were also never as good as when they were fresh.
There are two tricks I learned through the years that eradicated the most frustrating elements of home latke making: no egg and freeze before frying.
NO EGG
If there’s no egg, there’s no straining; if there’s no straining, then there’s no oxidation. Each fiber of potato remains firm and unbroken, stiff with the water that hasn’t been forced out of it.
FREEZE before FRYING
Freezing all but guarantees a consistent fry and protects your latkes from falling apart in the bubbling hot oil.
The result is beautiful—stray crisp tendrils emerging from a tangle of golden potato. I understand the hubris of saying that anything is the “best,” but when it comes to these latkes, I am fairly convinced.
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4 RUSSET POTATOES
½ YELLOW ONION
½ CUP MATZAH MEAL
NEUTRAL OIL (VEGETABLE, CANOLA, ETC.)
WATER
SALT to TASTE
Grate potatoes and onion into a bowl. (If you have a food processor, use the grater attachment.)
While stirring, add matzah meal and salt to the mix.
Form into flat patties roughly 3–3.5 inches in diameter.
Freeze patties on a covered flat tray (optional).
Coat the bottom of a large nonstick pan with neutral oil over medium–high heat.
Cook the latkes on both sides until golden brown.