Soon it will be Hanukkah! Called the “Festival of Lights” this
holiday is celebrated with saying prayers, lighting a menorah (a menorah is a candelabra that usually holds 9
candles), playing dreidel games (a dreidel is a 4 sided top with a letter on each
side), singing and eating fried foods.
Hanukkah in a nutshell: About two thousand years ago after much
fighting, the temple in Jerusalem was liberated by the Maccabees from the
Greeks and Syrians. To rededicate
the temple, oil was burned in the menorah. There was only enough oil to last
for one day. Miraculously the oil lasted not one but eight days until more oil
arrived. This miracle of the oil is celebrated by lighting the menorah for
eight nights.
Many Hanukkah foods are fried or made with oil to commemorate the
miracle of the oil. The most
popular Hanukkah foods are potato latkes (pancakes) and sufganiyot (fried
doughnuts). This year I am posting
my recipe for Gluten Free Latkes or Potato Pancakes.
I bake my latkes on a baking sheet with a
thin layer of oil on it. Baking is
less time consuming and easier than pan frying when making a large amount for a
crowd. The baked latkes are crisp
yet less greasy than pan fried ones.
Latkes are made with a few simple
ingredients, but they taste so delicious.
Traditionally they are served with apple sauce and/or sour cream. Today there are many variations of the
plain potato latke, including sweet potato, zucchini, parsnip, cauliflower,
cheese and even Brussel sprouts.
Last year I made vegan (no egg or dairy)
latkes for my son and they were really good also. I will include both recipes.
POTATO
LATKES
Makes about 6-8 three-inch latkes
(enough for 2-3 people depending upon appetites)
(double, triple etc. the recipe as needed)
Ingredients
1 lb.
|
Russet Potatoes (starchy potatoes are best)
|
¼ lb
|
Onions
|
2 Tbs.
|
Corn Starch (makes crispier latkes) or Potato Starch
|
1 large
|
Egg
|
½ tsp.
|
Baking Soda (makes the latkes less dense)
|
½ tsp.
|
Sea Salt
|
¼ tsp.
|
Pepper
|
½ to 1 cup
|
Olive Oil for Oven Frying (Olive oil gives a great flavor)
|
VEGAN
POTATO LATKES
Makes about 6-8 three-inch latkes
(enough for 2-3 people depending upon appetites)
(double, triple etc. the recipe as needed)
Ingredients
2
|
Egg Replacers of choice (I used ¼ cup water, 2 Tbs. oil,
and 4 tsp. baking powder.)
|
2 Tbs.
|
Corn Starch (makes for crispier latkes) or Potato Starch
|
¼ tsp.
|
Baking Powder (makes a less dense latke)
|
½ tsp.
|
Sea Salt
|
¼ tsp.
|
Pepper
|
1 lb.
|
Russet Potatoes (starchy potatoes are best)
|
¼ lb.
|
Onions
|
½ cup to 1 cup
|
Olive Oil for Oven Frying (olive oil gives a great flavor)
|
Directions
1) Preheat the oven to 450℉.
2) Pour ¼ inch oil into a rimmed baking pan. When the
oven is preheated put the baking pan into the oven for 20 minutes to get the
oil hot.
3) Wash and peel (peeling is optional) the
potatoes. Using a box grater or
the smaller grating blade on a food processor, grate the potatoes and place
into a bowl of water, this will keep the potatoes from turning grayish.
 |
| Potatoes grated in food processor, already turning color. |
4) Peel and finely grate the onion or run it
through the food processor using the blade attachment.
5) Line a sieve with cheese cloth. Place as much of the grated potatoes in
the cloth as will fit and still allow you to wrap them completely with the
cloth. Gather the cheese cloth
around the potatoes and form a knot or twist together the gathered ends and
squeeze or wring all the moisture out of the potatoes. Repeat with the rest of the potatoes
until all the extra moisture has been squeezed out. Repeat with the grated onions as well. Removing as much excess liquid as
possible is crucial for getting a crisp pancake.
 |
| Grated potatoes in a strainer lined with cheese cloth. |
 |
| The grated potatoes and onions gathered up in the cheese cloth ready to squeeze the excess liquid out. |
6) Add the grated potatoes and onions to a large
bowl. Add the rest of the
ingredients (except the cooking oil) and mix well. I find it best to use my clean hands to mix this up.
 |
| Potatoes and onions with excess liquid squeezed out. |
 |
| All the ingredients (except the oil for cooking) in the bowl. Ready to mix together. |
7) Carefully take the oil filled baking pan out of
the oven and place on the stove top.
Scoop out portions of the potato mixture into the oil and flatten the
center.
 |
| Latke mixture scooped out into the hot oil and flattened a bit. |
8) Bake for 6-8 minutes or until browned and
crisp. Turn the latkes and bake an
additional 5-8 minutes depending upon how dark and crisp you prefer yours to
be.
 |
| Latkes after cooking for 8 minutes. |
 |
| Latkes flipped over and ready to bake an additional 5 minutes. |
9) Drain latkes on paper towels.
 |
| Draining excess oil on paper towels. |
10) Serve right away for the crispest
pancakes. If you want to make them
ahead and then reheat: spread out the cold latkes on a shallow baking sheet and
reheat in a hot oven (450℉) for about 6-8 minutes until heated through.
11) If you want to pan fry the latkes: Heat ¼ inch
of oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Do not start to fry until a piece of potato sizzles when
dropped in the oil. Scoop out a portion of potato mixture and flatten with a
spatula. Repeat until the pan is full about 4 pancakes. Cook 5-8 minutes until browned, but do
not wait until the edges get dark or they will burn when the other side is
cooking. Flip and cook 3-4 minutes
on the other side.
12) Leftovers should be refrigerated or frozen and
reheated as needed.
13) Traditionally these are served with applesauce
and or sour cream, but you can eat them plain or with whatever you like.