OUR FAVORITE LATKES

Our Favorite Latkes image

These ultimate latkes have fluffy, pillowy-soft centers with crisp, golden brown edges. To cut your cooking time in half, use two large skillets to fry twice the batches at once.

Provided by Rhoda Boone

Categories Hanukkah Frankenrecipe Potato Fry Pan-Fry snack Appetizer

Yield Makes about 4 dozen latkes

Number Of Ingredients 12

Ingredients

4 pounds unpeeled russet potatoes (about 5 large potatoes)
1 pound yellow onions (about 2 medium onions)
1/4 cup matzo meal
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4-1/2 cup (or more) vegetable oil
1/4 cup (or more) schmaltz (rendered chicken fat; optional)
Apple sauce, for serving
Sour cream, for serving
Special Equipment
Food processor with grating blade or box grater, 2 large wire cooling racks, 2 large rimmed baking sheets

Steps:

Preheat oven to 250°F. Set racks in upper and lower thirds of oven. Place wire cooling racks in the rimmed baking sheets and place in the oven.
Using a food processor with a grating insert, grate the potatoes and then the onions, transferring grated vegetables to a large bowl when the bowl of the food processor is filled. Alternately, use a box grater. Working in batches, place the potatoes and onions in a clean dishtowel and thoroughly wring out the excess liquid over the sink, then transfer the potato-onion mixture to a large bowl. The more liquid you remove, the crispier your latkes will be, so take your time and use several dish towels if necessary. Reserve the potato-onion mixture.
In another large bowl, whisk together the matzo meal, salt, and pepper. Add the eggs and whisk to combine. Add the potato-onion mixture and mix well.
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt equal parts schmaltz and oil (or oil only if omitting the schmaltz) until a scant 1/4-inch depth of fat is reached. Drop 2 tablespoons of latke mixture into the hot fat, spacing them 2 inches apart. Flatten latkes slightly using a spatula and cook, turning once, until crisp, golden brown, and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Transfer latkes to wire racks and season with salt; return to the oven to keep warm; season with salt. As you remove latkes from the pan, replace them with fresh spoonfuls of potato mixture to maintain oil temperature. Add additional schmaltz and/or oil around the edge of the pan as needed to maintain a scant 1/4-inch depth of fat.
Keep latkes warm in oven and serve hot with applesauce or sour cream.