ode to the fried potato

this is going to be a ridiculously long and wordy post in which i tell you, in excruciating detail, all about how i make potato pancakes without any recipe. if you're not interested in potato pancakes, or if you only like to cook from a recipe, i urge you to skip this one.  because there aren't even pretty pictures.  it's hard to fry and photograph at the same time.  and the finished product gets eaten so fast i can hardly reach for my camera.

i have to admit to being a bit anxious about this post.  what with all of your expectations and fried-potato-love, and all.  i hope i don't let you down.  i'm just going to tell it like it is.  if you need more, you'll tell me.  (if you need less, i won't be insulted.)   

oil is a big part of the hanukkah celebration.  vegetable oil, olive oil.  that kind of oil.  not the drill-deep-into-the-earth-with-all-sorts-of-political-ramifications kind.  i was going to tell you about why oil is important at this holiday, but really, let's just get to the goodness.

because oil is a significant symbol of hanukkah, we eat lots of yummy fried foods during the festival.  most notably, we eat jelly donuts and potato pancakes.  except that, in our house, we're not too fond of jelly donuts, so any donuts will do.  but the potato pancakes, yum.

they're called latkes (pronounced LOT-kuhs or LOT-keys).  and there are many, many different ways to make them.  i'm going to tell you what i do.  and about how delicious they are.  how for eight days i devour these potato pancakes fried in oil, soaking my insides with grease and clogging my arteries for sure.  and how i spend the other fifty-one weeks of the year thinking about these babies.  except for the day after hanukkah (that would be tomorrow).  on that day, i just sit back and thank heavens that the holiday only lasts eight days.

but i digress.

latkes are essentially shredded potatoes, held together with a bit of egg and flour and plenty of salt, fried in oil.  there are recipes galore out there.  i don't use any of them.  i use a method, more than a recipe.  i paid careful attention tonight so that i could tell you in as much detail as possible.  this is the best i can do.

first of all, i like russet potatoes.  my brother prefers yukon gold.  just telling you.  and i use a food processor.  lots of people use a box grater.  i've lost too much skin on box graters, so i stay as far away from them as possible.  i also use a fine mesh strainer, lined with two layers of cheesecloth, set over a large mixing bowl.  now, i'm getting ahead of myself.  here's what i do:

peel the potatoes (tonight i used nine) and shred them in the food processor.  transfer the shredded potatoes to a large bowl and change to the steel blade for the rest of the work.   peel and quarter the onions (tonight i used four small-ish ones), and pulse them in the processor until they're very finely chopped.  pulp-y, even. 

now, i'm going to start getting technical.  move the onion pulp into the cheesecloth-lined strainer set over a large mixing bowl.  and pulse about two-thirds of the shredded potatoes until they are finely chopped, though not quite as pulpy as the onions.  transfer the chopped potatoes and the remainder of the shredded potatoes to the cheesecloth, too.  and then squeeze.  squeeze, squeeze, squeeze for dear life to get as much liquid out of the potatoes and onions as possible.  this is important.  dump the liquid.

(we're almost there.  and i promise that i can actually cook from a recipe.  i'll have to share a proper recipe soon, just to prove it's true.)

next, pour the drained onions and potatoes out of the cheesecloth into a large bowl and mix in lightly beaten eggs (tonight i used four), some salt (tonight i used 2 teaspoons), a sprinkling of flour (i have no idea how much i used - less than a quarter of a cup, i think).  you might like to add pepper.  i don't like pepper, so i don't add it.  mix it all up.

and then, to the frying.  i really believe that my latkes were better this year because of my electric skillet.  i had been wanting one for a while, but it's hard to find one without a non-stick surface.  i didn't want a non-stick surface.  last winter, a friend and i were searching and searching to no avail.  until she found two at a local hardware store (it was a hardware store, wasn't it, kimberly?).  but that was after hanukkah.  so this is my first year making latkes in this amazing electric skillet.  the square shape, the even heat, the high sides, i could go on.

i use medium heat.  and safflower oil (high-heat safflower oil, and canola when i ran out tonight).  pour about an eigth-of-an-inch of oil into the pan and let the oil get good and hot.  drop the mixture in rounds into the oil.  press down just slightly to flatten.  and let the pancakes sit there, in the hot oil, until the bottom of the pancake gets golden brown and just a bit crispy.  then flip.  and do the same thing on the other side. 

the frying takes a long time.  but it's worth it.  just let them sit there and cook until they're crispy, and do something else while you're waiting.  i do the dishes.  and tonight i made a lasagne just so that there would be another food group represented at the table.  nutritious. 

when you take the pancakes out of the pan, place them between layers of paper towel (practically the only time i use paper towels - i had to borrow a roll from a friend on friday) on a baking sheet in a warm oven until you're ready to serve.  tonight, this recipe made about fifteen 4-inch pancakes.  oh, and tonight, i threw some shredded sweet potato in the mixture, too. last week i added zucchini.  just to mix it up a bit.

so that's it.  i won't tell you about how my kitchen (ok, my whole house) smells like fried potatoes for days afterward.  or how tight my pants will feel in the morning.  because i don't want to deter you.  they're worth it.  once a year, for eight days, it's all worthwhile.

(if you make them - from my crazy instructions or from another recipe - do let me know.  i'd love to hear how they turn out!)

Comments

[joleen]

well, i've never made latkes but boy do i love them. my mom makes them every year. growing up we celebrated both hanakah and christmas and i think this may be where my love of potatoes came from. ;)

[cloth.paper.string]

oh boy, oh boy. i just picked up this month's winter farm share, and of course it included many pounds of potatoes. thanks to you, latkes are most definitely in the works.

[tracy]

tummy growling here!
hope your eighth night was lovely.

[leslie]

oh, we would all LOVE those over here.
and yes, an electric skillet does the trick.
mine is ancient, picked up at a flea market, and i adore it!
thanks for this!

[leslie]

okay. now i am hungry. and excited. my friend has been talking about making these at our little christmas get together. now i understand. thank you!

[mary jane]

Oh thanks for this. I make them but not having grown up with them, appreciate the fine points of your dissertation. In particular the paper towels and the cookie sheet/oven. Duh. You'd think it would have occured to me. I had heard of the glories of an electric skillet. Square in particular. Thanks and Happy Hanukkah!

[Dominique]

Need to forward this post to my husband/cook who has tried to cook some (we didn't know they were part of Hanukkah's traditions, we ate some at a typical Quebecois restaurant!). His attempts were not as delicious as yours. Thanks!

[julia]

yum yum yum. since my boyfriend's a vegan i've found a really great vegan latke recipe. at first my mom said "sounds good, but they won't taste like latkes." i agreed- but they ended up being delicious, and still tasting just about the same as "regular" latkes. i highly recommend the recipe from myra kornfeld's voluptuous vegan for anyone looking for a good vegan recipe.

hope the end of your hanukkah was delightful!

[laura]

These look so good. I like them with sour cream and applesauce!

[erin]

making me hungry....

[Julie Mazur]

I liked reading all your posts about Chanukah. I bake my latkes now. I know, I know, it's against the letter of the law. But we're still adhering to the spirit. There's oil involved, after all. Where do you get your beautiful candles, by the way?

Chag sameach.

[ani]

i can't wait to try them! sadly, i'm electric skillet-less, but i'll give 'em a go in the cast iron.

[Grace]

Even before you posted this, I was all planning to make some latkes this year. Mostly because I cook out of Everyday Food a lot, and I always try to cook seasonally, and they always have latke recipes in there in the December issues. So, I had earmarked two to try. And we had all the stuff, even some matzo meal as requested in one recipe, and I just let everything rot in my fridge over the last 10 days of insanity. Boo hoo for me. J has a (red!) cast now. More details tomorrow. xoxox