Make Our Crispy Potato Latkes Recipe for Hanukkah
Make these traditional grated potato latkes for a yummy appetizer or side dish this holiday season.
Potato latke season is here and you’re gonna want a stack of this crispiness. 🤤
Unfamiliar with latkes? Latkes are bundles of grated potato, onions, and a binder such as Matzo or flour fried in a skillet until crispy.
They are delicious and will certainly satisfy anyone’s potato obsession. I personally love to try any type of potato dish and love how these turn out by making them at home.
Potato Latkes are a yummy way to incorporate a popular Jewish dish into your holiday season!
They are traditionally served during Hanukkah, which is right around the corner! Hanukkah 2023 will begin Thursday, December 7th, and end Friday, December 15th.
This easy Hanukkah latke recipe is one to try this year!
If you’re curious about the significance of latkes, I found a great article on PBS.org that explains the history of potato latkes in-depth. After reading a ton about latkes, I found there to be many variations and methods including cheese latkes. YUM! 🧀
This easy recipe is more traditional with a crispy lacey texture from grating the potatoes. After squeezing the moisture out, these potato patties get their crispiness from being pan-fried in oil. The process is a little time-intensive, yet the results are so tasty and worth the effort.
Crispy Potato Latkes
yield: 12 SERVINGS
prep time: 30 MINUTES
cook time: 20 MINUTES
total time: 50 MINUTES
Bundles of grated potatoes and onion that are crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (about 6 medium sized), shredded
- 1 small onion, shredded
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons matzo meal
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 cup peanut oil (or desired oil for frying)
- sour cream and apple sauce, for serving
Directions
1
Drape a mixing bowl with cotton cheesecloth. Shred or grate the potatoes and onions into the cloth. Squeeze out the moisture very tightly by twisting tightly in a ball. Discard the water.
2
To your onions and potatoes, add an egg, matzo meal, and salt. Mix well.
3
Add enough oil to a large cast iron skillet to cover the bottom. Heat it up to medium. Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop potato mixture. Flatten the latke and place it in the skillet. Fry for about 2-3 minutes until browned and cooked.
4
Place the cooked latkes on a paper towel or on a drying rack stacked on top of a sheet pan to dry. This recipe made 12 latkes for me. If you made them smaller 1/8 of a cup size, you could get around 24.
5
Serve warm with sour cream and applesauce on the side. Enjoy!
Additional Notes
Adapted from MomsDish.online
Tips for making the best potato latkes:
- To shred the potatoes and onion, I used the shredder attachment that came with my mandoline slicer. You can use a box cheese grater or if you have a food processor with the shredder attachment, that would work also.
- Use your favorite baking potato. My family prefers Yukons, so I used that. Russet can certainly be used, too.
- The oil can be catered to your taste as well. Typically canola or peanut oil is used, but I have seen recipes using avocado oil instead.
- Flour or breadcrumbs can be substituted for the matzo meal. Traditionally, the matzo meal is used so that’s what I used for this recipe.
- Getting out the moisture from the potatoes and onions is very important so they will turn out crispy. I draped a bowl with cheesecloth and then squeezed out all the moisture I could. Using a salad spinner seems to also be a popular option.
What a delicious potato side dish!
Honestly, I could probably eat a couple of these as a meal. My family really enjoyed them and I hope yours loves making some too. Both the sour cream and apple sauce are great toppings. I had a couple left over and reheated them in the air fryer for a minute or so and they were still crisp and yum. Enjoy!
Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate. 🕎
Serve up your latkes with our low carb, slow-cooked brisket recipe!
