Description
Polish potato pancakes invite hungry souls into a crispy, golden world of comfort. Sizzling latkes promise a delightful journey through generations of culinary tradition, tempting you to savor each perfectly crafted bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 2 lbs (900g) russet potatoes, peeled and grated
- 1 medium onion, grated
- 2 large eggs, beaten
Binding and Seasoning Ingredients:
- ¼ cup (30g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
Cooking and Serving Ingredients:
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- Applesauce or sour cream
- Chopped chives (optional)
Instructions
- Grate potatoes meticulously using a box grater or food processor, ensuring uniform texture and removing skin completely.
- Drain potato shreds aggressively by wringing through a clean kitchen towel, eliminating maximum moisture to guarantee crisp pancakes.
- Integrate grated onions, cracked eggs, flour, and seasoning components into potato mixture, blending thoroughly with gentle folding technique to maintain ingredient integrity.
- Warm vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet until shimmering, creating an ideal frying environment with consistent temperature.
- Carefully drop potato mixture into hot oil, using a spatula to shape and flatten into uniform circular pancakes with slightly crisp edges.
- Monitor pancakes attentively, allowing golden-brown caramelization on each side, flipping once to achieve balanced crispness without burning.
- Rest freshly fried potato pancakes on absorbent paper towels to eliminate excess oil and maintain structural crispness.
- Present steaming hot directly from skillet, accompanied by traditional garnishes like tangy applesauce or creamy sour cream, garnishing with delicate chive snippings for visual appeal and enhanced flavor profile.
Notes
- Squeeze potatoes thoroughly to achieve crispy, golden-brown pancakes without excess moisture.
- Use starchy potatoes like Russet for best texture and binding potential.
- Pat grated potatoes completely dry with paper towels to prevent soggy results.
- Ensure oil is hot enough (around 350°F) before adding potato mixture to guarantee perfect crispiness.
- Experiment with alternative flour options like almond or gluten-free flour for dietary restrictions.
- Add grated zucchini or carrots for extra nutrition and interesting flavor variations.
- Keep pancakes warm in a low-temperature oven while cooking remaining batches to maintain crispness.
- Consider using duck fat or clarified butter instead of vegetable oil for richer flavor profile.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Snacks
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Jewish
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg