No, this isn’t the debate over applesauce or sour cream. This is more important – paramount, in fact: how do you make your latkes? And did you know latke is a Yiddish word? In Hebrew, they are levivot.
Mmmm, I love those crispy edges. I'll exercise tomorrow. Photo courtesy interfaithfamily.com. Click on photo for link.
There are three important factors in a great latke – type of potato, potato/onion/egg ratio, and potato texture.
Let’s start with type of potato. As you can see from this post two years ago*, in theory baking potatoes should be used but in practice red potatoes work well too.
Next, the ingredients ratio. I go with one medium onion to two large potatoes. Some people like a stronger onion flavor but I don’t want to overpower the humble potato (and I also leave the skin on about one of every three). I’m not big on a lot of salt in my food, but a generous turn of the salt grinder and the pepper grinder is a must. I also add just enough eggs to hold it together, because I’m not trying to make a quiche here.
Finally, the potato texture. Grater or processor? I go with the hash brownier texture of grated taters, but my darling DB loves them smoother, so I always make a batch of “his” as well. Whichever you choose, squeeze most of the liquid out before you add the other ingredients. We had my latkes on the first night, and my sister-in-law’s last night, and she makes hers thicker and has a wonderful cheat: she puts in a packet of matzah ball mix instead of messing with flour and baking soda. Yummy.
How did you make yours? Do you try other veggies (I do) or is that blasphemy? Have a happy day two, and a good night three.
Over on Kaplan’s Korner, Ron highlighted a Chicago news item in which a Jewish Bears rookie and the locals kept calling them “latkees.” Ron was put off by it, and so was I. Ew. Any Chicagoans out there? Is that a Chicago thing the way Galitzianers call challah “cholly” or worse, “holly”?
*Can you believe Our Tribe and Joy has been going for two years? Wow! And you’re not tired of me yet? THANKS for reading!
5 Comments
Two years! Happy birthday to Our Tribe and Joy! I used to make the Nach Waxman recipe from the Silver Palate, the kind you like, that you have to stand over the stove at all times and you smell like oil and onions for three days after. And then I discovered another recipe in Fine Cooking that is the kind I think your hubby likes. They are delicious, you can cook them in advance and freeze them and you still smell like oil and onions for three days. My Nana was from Philly, and she said “latkees.” They say a lot of funny things in Philly. I’m making my latkes this afternoon, if you want to stop by! Chanukah Sameach!
Happy BDay to T&J! I love latkes, especially if I don’t have to make them. Regarding the challah pronunciation as “holly”; it caused me endless problems with the older men from my hubby’s synagogue when we were dating. 1st that I was a Jewish girl named Holly and 2nd that they had “holly” every Friday night for Shabbos! Yuck!
Leslie, what’s wrong with smelling like oil and onions? I keep looking for a latke-scented candle, but somehow they’re always out of stock…
Holly, try living with Alia, ie. can I have an Alia on Shabbos. Teenage boys think that’s funny.
One proud Chicagoan here, who never said “chollee” in her life, although I will confess to having heard it on many occasions. I do believe that, as a child, I may have said “latkees,” but I never realized it was a Chicagoism. The things that always got me were hearing a cousin talk about not eating “melk” and meat together, or people calling the living room the “French room,” old-time Chicago-speak for “front room.”
I find the -ee ending is just more common as you move further from traditional Judaism. So for example, my cousins who never met a shellfish they didn’t like use -ee with regularity.