Here they are! The Luscious Latkes featured on BEAT BOOBY FLAY!!! And the WON!!
Potato Latkes, or Ashkenazi style potato pancakes, are a staple in most Jewish American households. So, this Italian chef is going to teach you how to make these amazing latkes! Got a problem with dat? I have had many a latke that has all of the traditional flavors of the classic, but were either too greasy, too rubbery or just flat. Tradition can use some technical assistance sometimes and here is my shot at it.
One of my secrets in grating the potatoes two ways. The classic regular box-grated potatoes give you the creaminess and the French style “mandolined” potatoes add a lacy, crisp component that makes them addictive. Also, check out the tossing technique and the incorporation of the potato liquid…read on cynics…!
Potato Latkes, or Ashkenazi style potato pancakes, are a staple in most Jewish American households. So, this Italian chef is going to teach you how to make these amazing latkes! Got a problem with dat? I have had many a latke that has all of the traditional flavors of the classic, but were either too greasy, too rubbery or just flat. Tradition can use some technical assistance sometimes and here is my shot at it.
One of my secrets in grating the potatoes two ways. The classic regular box-grated potatoes give you the creaminess and the French style “mandolined” potatoes add a lacy, crisp component that makes them addictive. Also, check out the tossing technique and the incorporation of the potato liquid…read on cynics…!
Makes 12 nice-sized latkes
8 medium-large russet potatoes, peeled
1-2 medium onions, peeled
2 tablespoons horseradish
3 eggs
about ¾ cup cornstarch or potato
starch as needed (for gluten-free latkes) or matzoh meal
salt and pepper to taste
neutral-flavored, heat-holding vegetable oil
like grapeseed, sunflower or safflower oil, or get real and use schmaltz or
duck fat for frying (not olive oil) as needed
Take 6 of the potatoes and grate on the
coarse side of a box grater or on the grater wheel with the larger holes of a
food processor.
Grate the onions the same way.
Mix those potatoes and onions together in a bowl. Now, using a mandolin or by hand, julienne the last two potatoes into thin strips. Add to the previously grated onions-potato mix. Then add the horseradish and season with salt and pepper to taste, leaning a bit towards salty.
In a separate bowl, scramble the eggs and pour
over the potato-onion mixture.
Now add the starch of choice. (We use potato starch or cornstarch to keep them gluten free.) Mix well with one hand.
Fill a large heavy skillet one half-inch deep
with your cooking oil and bring up to a shimmer. You want your oil hot enough to
brown, but not so hot that it cooks too fast. Test for heat by dropping a small
drop of the mix in the oil. If it sizzles, it is ready.
Take a handful of mixture, about the size of
a small tomato, in your hand. Toss it
gently and carefully up and down like you're a pitcher getting ready to pitch. After
five or six tosses it will begin to get rounder and rounder. When it is round
and tight, place it carefully in the oil. Repeat with a few more, being careful not to crowd the pan.
Allow the latkes to cook on one side, still
round, until you notice that they are getting bronze around the edges, about 2-3
minutes. Using a spatula flip each latke and NOW press
them down until they are about ½ inch thick. Monitor your heat, making sure the
oil is not too hot but hot enough to keep the pan frying going nicely.
When the latkes are fully golden on each side, remove to a cooling sheet. Repeat this process until your mix is used up. They can easily be reheated in a 350 F oven for 5 minutes.
When the latkes are fully golden on each side, remove to a cooling sheet. Repeat this process until your mix is used up. They can easily be reheated in a 350 F oven for 5 minutes.
Chipotle Apple Sauce
So this is a little twist on basic apple
sauce. I was taught very early in my career to make apple sauce simple and
plain first, and to spice it later. If you spice it too early, you may end up
with overly spiced sauce. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove have no place in potato
pancakes. However, a little smokey chipotle heat adds a modern twist. Don’t like heat? Leave it out.
You will need a food mill to make good apple
sauce at home.
Makes about 2 cups
6 big sweet apples or about 2 pounds. Think Empires, Macouns, Red Delish….
Water
Sugar or maple syrup if needed
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon or more chipotle chili powder
Wash the apples and try to remove the stems,
but do not cut or peel them. Put the apples in a non reactive pot. Cover with
water by about one inch. Add a pinch of salt. Cover pot snugly.
Bring to a rolling boil and cook for at least
30 minutes or until the apples begin to collapse and get mushy. Using a slotted spoon, remove in batches to a
food mill and process into a bowl. Repeat until you have run all of the pulp
through the mill. Discard the cooking liquid.
If the sauce is too thin, return it to the
pot and gently cook for a few minutes to cook out some of the water. Taste for
sweetness and add sweetener if you choose.
Add the chipotle powder and stir it in well.
Cool. Store refrigerated or use a canning process to preserve.
