Life & Style

Latkes for Thanksgivukkah

With this year’s festival of lights coming unseasonably early—Hanukkah and Thanksgiving won’t be aligned again for another 76,000 years!—we get to enjoy our latkes that much sooner. And we have absolutely no problem with that.

See below for Judy’s legendary latke recipe. Swap these out for mashed potatoes on Turkey Day—you can even substitute grated sweet potatoes for half the baking potatoes, if you like—and you’re on your way to an epic Thanksgivukkah.

Photo from Cooking Jewish

Potato Latkes

“Serving latkes for Thanksgivukkah need not be a hastle. Make these ahead and stack cooled, drained latkes vertically in a loaf pan. Cover the pan with foil and wrap it in a plastic bag. Freeze, then reheat at serving time—no need to defrost—in a preheated, 400 degree oven. No one will miss the mashed potatoes this year!”

Ingredients

2 pounds baking potatoes
2 large eggs
½ medium-size onion, coarsely chopped
½ medium-size firm apple, peeled and coarsely chopped
1½ teaspoons kosher (coarse) salt, or to taste
⅛ teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ to ½ cup all-purpose flour or matzoh meal
Peanut or canola oil, for frying
Applesauce and/or sour cream, for serving

Instructions

1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1-inch cubes. To keep them white and release some of the starch, submerge them in a bowl of water while you’re preparing the remaining ingredients.

2. Place the eggs in a blender. Add the onion, apple, salt, white pepper, and baking powder. Drain the potatoes and squeeze them dry in paper towels. Add enough of the potatoes to fill the blender (all 2 pounds may not fit). Turn on the blender, and pushing down on the sides with a rubber spatula (careful you don’t blend the spatula—there is no rubber in this recipe), blend until the potatoes just move around. Add the remaining potatoes as you’re blending, but do not overprocess or make it too smooth. The texture should resemble applesauce. (This takes about 6 seconds in my Osterizer.)

3. Transfer the batter to a large bowl and add the flour. The batter should be flowing, but not too thin.

4. Now for the real secret of my very crisp latkes: Pour enough oil into a large skillet to coat the bottom. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it is quite hot but not smoking. Use a serving spoon to scoop up the batter (about 2 tablespoons per scoop), hold the spoon about 8 inches above the pan, and spill it all at once. Splat! Remove your hand quickly so you don’t burn yourself. (Like tennis, it’s all in the wrist.) The batter will splatter, forming holes…the better to hold the sour cream or applesauce. Repeat with as many as will fit in the skillet without crowding. Cook until browned, about 1 minute. Then flip them over and cook the other side for 1 minute.

5. Drain the latkes well on paper towels, and keep them warm while you cook the remainder, adding more oil as needed.

6. Serve immediately, with applesauce and/or sour cream.