Bubbie’s Top 10 Tips For Perfect Latkes

Please read before you start grating!

1. Russets are right

When it comes time for frying, russets are king. Ditch the colorful gold, purple, and blue heirloom potatoes. Why? Classic russet potatoes, Idaho potatoes in the US, have the high starch content necessary to ensure your pancakes don't fall apart. Bubbie figures that one pound of potatoes works out to be two medium-sized potatoes, so she starts with about 10 medium potatoes.

2. Grate your potatoes by hand

If you have the energy like my Bubbie, grate your potatoes on the large holes of a box grater instead of in the food processor. The box grater will yield thinner strands, which make for crunchier, crispier latkes. Placing the grater right in the bottom of a wide bowl helps cut down on cleanup. Use a medium-coarse disk if you wimp out.

3. Process your onions (enough is enough)

Bubbie likes lots of onions and 2 large or 3 medium onions to every 5 lbs. of russet potatoes is quite a high onion to potato ratio. Adding enough salt, both in the mix of the latkes, and then a small sprinkle after they come out of the hot oil is crucial as salt and pepper are the only spices happening here says Bubbie.

4. Eliminate moisture, but not too much.

The trick is to keep the natural potato starch in the mix, without removing too much liquid. This balance keeps a creamy interior to the pancakes. The texture of the batter should not be pasty or the latkes won’t be fluffy.

5. Make the mixture

Place the grated potatoes in a colander over a large bowl. Pour the processed onions and juice on top. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes to let the starch settle at the bottom of the bowl. Bubbie now presses the mixture to extract all the liquid. Then drain the bowl, leaving the starch.

Bubbie says some people squeeze the potatoes now with 3 layers of cheesecloth. She likes a creamier latke so she skips this. After this point, Bubbie says no more draining! With a fork, briefly mix the eggs in the bowl with the leftover potato starch until smooth. She does this because otherwise, the wet starch is difficult to distribute into the potato mixture. Add the matzah meal or flour and pepper then add back into the potato mixture. Let that sit and absorb for 10 minutes. Add the salt now right before frying as salt draws out moisture, so adding it last ensures the mixture doesn’t become watery.

6. Pick the proper pan

Select a pan that can withstand high temperatures, heats evenly, and has enough room to hold 4 or more potato pancakes at the same time without stacking. Nonstick cookware is generally only meant for use over low to medium heat. Bubbie says cast iron is the only game in town—the bigger, the better! Stainless steel can work in a pinch.

7. Get it hot

Set your pan over medium heat and pour in oil with a high smoke point (such as canola or vegetable or a mix with olive) to fill the pan to ¼”. Do not wait till you see smoke! Let the pan rest for a minute or so, then drop a little clump of potato into the oil to test the temperature. If the oil sizzles, it’s hot enough for frying. Change the oil halfway through or sooner if stray potato pieces remain (otherwise they’ll burn and turn the oil bitter).

8. Form the patties

Once the oil is sizzling and you’re dropping ¼ C mounds of the potato mixture into the pan, retaining the liquid. By this point, the potato batter will have become more liquidy. Don’t be tempted to squeeze them again. Lightly form a patty using your hands or a spoon to keep the moisture in. Do this on a flat spatula so you can just slide the latke batter into the hot skillet. Work in batches and gently flatten the patty and spread the mounds out with a fork or spatula for lacy, crispy latkes.

9. Pack the pan loosely

Latkes need their space to maintain their heat so as not to absorb oil. Bubbie tries to leave at least a half-inch distance around each patty.

10. Be Patient

Patience is key here. No matter how hungry the troops are, never buckle under and turn the heat up to high as the surface will cook too quickly leaving the inside raw. The worst of it is that your kitchen will become a smoky hot mess. To cook up your latkes more quickly, use several pans at once.

As each batch is drained on paper towels on both sides, transfer to the rack on the baking sheet to keep them warm until the entire batch is finished. It is best not to keep the latkes in the oven for more than 30 minutes as they will begin to dry out. Bubbie wears gloves while grating (latex) and while frying (quilted), but she does have some old scars as she didn’t always. And of course, she wears her “Bubbie Knows Best” apron given to her by her favorite granddaughter.

EQUIPMENT

• Knife and cutting board

• Food processor with shredding blade

• Cheesecloth or clean, thin kitchen towel (opt.)

• Wooden spoon

• 12-inch or larger cast iron skillet

• Fish spatula or ¼ cup measuring cup

• Fork

• Paper towels

• 2 rimmed baking sheets

• Wire cooling rack

INGREDIENTS

5 lbs russet potatoes, unpeeled and scrubbed well

2 large onions, quartered

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1⁄2 cup matzah meal or flour

2 1⁄2 teaspoons salt plus more for sprinkling

1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3-4 cups vegetable oil, olive oil or a mix for frying

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat the oven and fit one baking sheet with paper towels and another with a cooling rack. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 300°F. Set both baking sheets aside.
   

2. Prepare the potatoes. Scrub the potatoes well, but do not peel. Cut each potato in half crosswise. If using a processor, cut the halves into lengths to fit into the processor feed.
   

3. Grate the onion. With a food processor, use the medium-coarse shredding disk. Turn on for a few seconds, then place into a small bowl and set aside. Do not wash the processor bowl yet.
   

4. Grate the potatoes. Using the box grater on the coarse side, shred the potatoes into a large bowl. Or to process, put the medium-coarse food processor shredding disk in and turn it on. Begin feeding the potato slices into the machine.
   

5. Drain the potatoes and onions. When the potatoes are shredded, put them into a colander over a large bowl. Dump in the onion bits and juice and mix everything around with your hands, squeezing the potato moisture out as you work. Let the mixture drain for 10 minutes. Pour out the liquid from the bowl, but leave the potato starch that settled at the bottom of the bowl.
   

6. Mix the latke ingredients together with your fingers. With a fork, briefly mix the eggs in the bowl with the leftover potato starch until smooth. Add the matzah meal or flour, salt, and pepper then dump the potatoes and onions into the mixture. Mix with your fingers, making sure that the potato starch and egg are evenly distributed with the rest of the ingredients. Set batter aside for 10 minutes to absorb. ***Bubby says this is important***
   

7. Heat the oil. Place the oil in a large skillet so that there is a depth of 1/4 inch (for a 12-inch skillet you'll need 1 1/4 cups of oil to start). Heat over medium-high or high heat until a small piece of the latke mixture sizzles immediately. Turn heat down to medium once you’ve started frying the latkes.
   

8. Form latkes one at a time. Scoop 1/4 cup of the mixture onto a fish or flat spatula using a 1/4 cup measuring cup or a long-handled serving spoon to form a flat, four-inch patty. Slide the latke into the hot oil, using a fork to nudge the latke into the pan. Spread the edges with a fork for lacy latkes.
   

9. Fry the latkes until golden on both sides. Repeat until the pan is full but the latkes aren't crowded leaving a ½” space between them. Fry until deeply golden-brown, 4 to 5 minutes per side, adjusting the heat if necessary. Don’t flip a latke until the underside is brown, at least 4 minutes. Keep an eye on your watch. About halfway through the frying process, pour the used oil into a heatproof bowl, wipe out the skillet, then heat fresh oil and continue frying. Dispose of the oil later.

10. Drain the latkes. Transfer the latkes to the paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain for 2 minutes. Flip them after a minute or so to get both sides or place a paper towel on top and lightly press.

11. Serve with applesauce and sour cream or keep warm in the oven. Serve immediately with applesauce and sour cream or go fancy shmancy with crème fraiche with salmon roe or lox or whatever. If you are frying the entire recipe to be served at a proper meal, transfer the latkes to the wire cooling rack set in the baking sheet and keep warm in the oven for up to 30 minutes while you continue cooking the rest of the latkes.

RECIPE NOTES

Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container and re-crisp in a 300°F oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Keep a close eye on the latkes when reheating so they do not burn. If you know your latkes are going to be frozen, do not drain them. That oil will keep them crispy when you reheat them in the oven. Bubby drains all her latkes. Then if she wants to reheat some, she lightly coats them with cooking spray because she never remembers which were drained and which were not!