Latkas are just the best potato pancakes ever! It’s the holiday season and Hanukkah is here. Why not make these crispy cakes of goodness? They are simple to make, so no excuses not to.

A Couple of Good Hints!

Here are a couple of good hints to remember when making your latkes. First, after grating your potatoes you need to squeeze the living daylights out of them to remove all the liquid. A dry potato is a crispy potato!

Second, there is a white pasty starch that is in that liquid that you just squeezed out. We want to use that to help bind our pancake. So gently pour out the liquid that we don’t want leaving the starch that we do want.

You might ask, “Can I use all-purpose flour instead of Matzo Meal.” The quick answer is yes. Will it be as good? That would be a no! The matzo meal brings a flavor to your pancake that is part of what makes our potato pancake a traditional latka.

I hope you enjoy making your latkes this Holiday Season. They are so good and easy to make. As always, thanks for Spending Time in My Kitchen!

Latkes, Just the Best Potato Pancakes Ever!

Recipe by David Frank – Spending Time In My Kitchen

0.0 from 0 votes

Servings

Latkas

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Ingredients

1 lb Russet or Yukon Gold Potatoes, grated
1/2 Onion, grated
1/3 Cup Matzo meal
1 lg Egg
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Baking powder
1 Tbl Slightly melted unsalted butter
Grapeseed, canola oil for frying
Garnish
Sour Cream
Fresh chopped chives
Applesauce

Directions

Coarsely grate your potatoes and onions using a box grater or food processor. Place them in a thin kitchen towel and squeeze as much liquid out as you can into a bowl. Place them in a colander over the bowl and let the potatoes drain any remaining liquid into the bowl for a couple of minutes. This is a very important step. The more liquid you can press and squeeze drain out, the better your latkes will be golden and crisp.
Let the liquid in the bowl sit for a couple of minutes. Gently pour the liquid out of the bowl. At the bottom of the bowl will be a white starchy paste.
Place the potatoes and the onions back into the bowl with the remaining starch.
Add the egg, matzo meal, melted butter, and salt into the bowl with the onions and the potatoes and combine well. If you feel your mixture is too wet, add a little more matzo meal.
Add 1/4 inch of oil into your cast iron pan. Turn heat to medium-high. Place a small drop of potato into the pan. When it starts to sizzle, make a small patty out of 1/4 cup of your mixture and place it into your pan. Do not overfill your pan. Make sure you keep them separate while they are cooking.
Use a slotted spatula and a fork to gently turn your pancake to the other side. Remove pancakes from the pan when nice and golden on both sides and place them on paper towels to drain.
Garnish with sour cream and chives. Add some applesauce if that is part of your tradition. Enjoy!