I once read many years ago, the only mitzvah that has increased among all the Jewish people was lighting candles on Hanukkah. I'm sure it was because in most Jewish homes, candle lighting is followed by jelly doughnuts or potato pancakes (latkes in Yiddish).
It is customary that we eat foods fried in oil on Chanukah because the oil symbolizes the miraculous burning of a small amount of pure oil in the Menorah for eight days in the Holy Temple until new oil was prepared for its use.
In my home in Schenectady, New York, my mother would grate the potatoes and prepare the batter for latkes every Hanukkah. It was a race to fry the potatoes before the mixture turned an ugly green. The other race was to make them fast enough to accumulate enough for a meal while everyone was visiting the kitchen to taste just one to see if they were any good. The latkes are still the high point of Chanukah for my family. It brings the family together and we sing and talk about the miracle. So I guess it is a good starting point.
Here are several good recipes for latkes. We would eat our latkes with maple syrup or salt or sour cream or apple sauce -- any combination, or nothing at all, or all of the above. Enjoy!
And Happy Hanukkah! -- Chef Herschel
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POTATO LATKES AND ONION
6 potatoes
1 onion
4 eggs
3 tbsps. matza meal
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. baking powder
Grate by hand potatoes and onion. Add eggs and then dry ingredients. Fry in hot oil. Replace 2 of the potatoes with zucchini for lighter pancakes.
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LATKES (POTATO PANCAKES) (from The Flavor of Jerusalem)
A favorite eaten at Hanukkah. Each cook has her infallible recipe, but we liked this version, which we found to be especially light.
3 large potatoes
3 tbsps. milk
1 egg
1/2 tsp. baking powder
salt and pepper to taste
cooking oil
If the skins of the potatoes are thin and unblemished, do not peel the potatoes but scrub them well. Otherwise, peel them; then grate 1 potato on the large holes of a grater and the other two on the medium holes. Beat in the milk, egg and baking powder. Season with salt and pepper; blend well, If there is a large amount of liquid in the mixture, drain off some of it. Heat a scant ½ inch of oil in a large skillet until it is very hot but not smoking. Drop the batter by large spoonfuls, flatten then slightly. Turn them once. When they are golden brown on the bottom side, cook them several minutes longer and drain them on paper towels. (The latkes will have crisp edges.)
Serve hot with sour cream or applesauce.
Makes 3-4 servings.
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NANA'S LATKES (from the New York Times)
2 lbs. Idaho potatoes
2 lbs. Yukon potatoes
5 eggs, beaten
1 cup flour
salt
vegetable oil for frying
sour cream
apple sauce
Peel potatoes, and keep in cold water until you are ready to grate them.
Grate the potatoes coarsely by hand (or with a Cuisinart using first the shredding blade then the blending blade). The mixture should be slighly lumpy and not too blended. Add the beaten eggs. Mix in up to 1 cup of flour. Add a little salt. The batter should be fairly liquid and not too thick.
Heat about a half-inch of vegetable oil in a frying pan. When the oil is very hot, use a soup spoon as a measure to put in small amounts of batter in the oil. Frying the pancakes on one side, then the other, until they have turned brown on both sides and are crispy around the edges.
Drain the pancakes on paper towels that have been placed on a platter atop a saucepan of simmering hot water or keep warm in the oven.
Makes about 80 3-inch latkes.
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(The following 3 recipes are taken from: The Settlement Cookbook)
SOUR CREAM POTATO PANCAKES
4 large potatoes or 2 cups raw, grated potatoes
1/2 cup sour cream or 1/2 cup hot milk
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs, separated
Grate the potatoes, place in a colander, set over a bowl and drain. When the starch has settled in the bottom of the bowl, discard top liquid. Place drained potatoes in a mixing bowl, add starch, cream or hot milk, and salt. Beat yolks well; add to potato mixture; fold in the stiffly beaten whites. Drop by spoonfuls on a hot, well-greased skillet. Brown slowly on both sides. Serve with apple sauce.
Makes 4 servings.
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POTATO PANCAKES
4 large potatoes or 2 cups raw grated potatoes
2 eggs
1/8 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsps. salt
1 tbsp. flour, bread crumbs or matza meal
dash of pepper
Peel potatoes, grate, drain. Beat eggs well and mix with the rest of the ingredients. Drop by spoonfuls on a hot, well-greased skillet. Brown on both sides. Serve with applesauce.
Makes 4 servings.
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BAKED POTATO PANCAKES
Mix as above. Heat a generous amount of fat in a skillet, add potato batter; bake in a hot oven, 400ºF, for 25 minutes.
(26) Jill, December 12, 2012 6:02 AM
Potato Latkes
Yummy, yes, potato latkes are delicious, especially the homemade ones with grated potatoes. I add onion for flavour. Thankyou for the variety of recipes, all very good.
(25) Anonymous, December 20, 2011 4:18 PM
Do you know how to keep them crisp
If I make the latkes at home then shlep them to my kids we only eat them a few hours later. HOW DOES ONE ENSURE THEY REMAIN CRISP?
ana, November 11, 2012 4:50 PM
re-crisp
re-heat them in a medium or low temperature oven. even when we make them at home, in batches, we place them in a 250 degree oven until they're all ready to serve.
(24) Robyn, April 5, 2011 10:24 PM
potatoe Latkas
Just a simply helpful suggestion. When making the batter add a couple of capfuls of lemon juice, this will keep the batter from turning that nasty greenish-gray color...... Hope everyone enjoys Latkas all year long, they are a great side dish... One other thing I have found that using matza meal instead of flour gives the batter a better consistincy and add"s alot more flavor......Everyone enjoy
(23) Cynthia Cohen, December 27, 2008 3:14 PM
Chag Sameach from a fellow former Schenectadian!
Thanks for the recipe--have used and enjoyed it with our children this year.
(22) Docmomi, December 16, 2008 12:43 AM
Helpful site for a blended family
We are a blended family and we celebrate Chanukah. Not having anyone to teach me recipes for the holidays this site has been very helpful for both the cooking and the meaning behind it.
(21) Esther de Nes, April 30, 2008 3:01 PM
recipe for herringsalad
My mother made a jewish herringsalad in a special season when the fish was still fresh, there were onion rings in it and grated rusks and it was sour/sweet. She never gave me the recipe but said: I'll make it for you.
She has long been gone - I am 82 now. Do
you know how it is made? I am Sfaradi.
There were no apples or beets in it.
Thank you for your reply!
(20) Efim Ruchman, July 30, 2006 12:00 AM
thnaks for helping me
Thank you very much for your recipies, I am very happy have made contact with you.Thanks
(19) Pat, July 21, 2006 12:00 AM
Potato Knishes
Growing up in Ny ,i loved the potatoe knishes we were able to buy at the local Deli . I can't seem to be able to find a recipe for them Thank you
(18) mayra duarte, February 4, 2006 12:00 AM
delicious recipes
I love your recipe, I remenber when i lived in Israel, I missed the delicious food, Thanks for your recipes
iwill tried to do them
(17) BETTY ROSNER, January 9, 2006 12:00 AM
Thank you for this great site.
I have been trying to find good Jewish cooking recipes. Thank you for this site.
(16) Joni, November 17, 2005 12:00 AM
How do you make
Knishes (sp) that I used to buy in New York from a little old lady with a cart. When I got out of school on very cold, muggy days, I'd make a mad dash for her wonderful comforting offerings. The taste, smell and the feel of these potato cakes is fresh in my mind although it's been over 50 years since I had one. I'd warm my hands, then warm my tummy with these delicious treats. Thank you for your help.
(15) leah in New York, December 30, 2003 12:00 AM
NO need to peel the potatoes! Use Matzah meal. No baking soda needed
Just use the shredding, or julienne, blade of the food processor, and they will be lacey. Baking potatoes are ok! No flour, it's gooey; instead, use fine breadcrumbs or matzah meal to DRY UP the mixture. No need to press water out either. Shred some onions in, too, mix manually with a few beaten eggs, a little oil, a lot of salt. Fry up in a non-stick pan, turn once, and drain on paper towls. Not healthy, but so important for the soul! A once-a-year indulgence.
(14) Vicki Lopow, December 27, 2003 12:00 AM
Potato Latkes
Dear Chef Hershel,
You forgot to mention that all of the above latke recipes are totally diet free!
A belated, but still enthusiastic Happy Chanukah to you and yours! VRL
(13) Sabra Williams, December 27, 2003 12:00 AM
Teriffic....
How abot the receipe for Kugel....
am just "dying" for some...can't find
it in this neck of the woods "Texas"
and would sooooo much love to taste it
again.....
(12) Anonymous, December 27, 2003 12:00 AM
No Nutmeg?
Dear Chef Herschel, I scanned all your recepies and I am sure they are wonderful but I miss the Nutmeg in at least one of them. If you want to have a real european-jekkish-stile-lattkes you have to add 1/2 teespoon of nutmeg to a normal potion of lattkes. This is the way I learnd it from my mother, and this is the way it allways comes out good. Maybe the next year...
(11) Trisha Levine, December 24, 2003 12:00 AM
Latke tip.
In order to keep the potatoes from turning green, I alternate between grating potatoes and onion. I also use Yukon gold potatoes. It works for me! My latkes turn out golden.
(10) Yisroel, December 23, 2003 12:00 AM
Sufganiot
Chef Herschel!
How about some sufganiot recipes? I mean the Israeli style sufganiot, but you can also throw in an American jelly donut recipe, too.
(9) Anonymous, December 23, 2003 12:00 AM
B"H
great site,
enjoy it very much
MARIO
(8) Rosemary Benedict, December 22, 2003 12:00 AM
Herschel Arnow...is that you? one more thing...
Your article on soy and meat-free meats was encouraging. We've been vegans for five years now and wish everyone would give it a try.
(7) Sarah Shalom, December 22, 2003 12:00 AM
first visit to web site
I absolutley LOVE you site!!! It is full of so much information. I needed a latke recipe and I found so many that I can't wait to try! Baruch Hashem and Happy Chanukah!
(6) Anonymous, December 22, 2003 12:00 AM
you people are unreal!!!!
I find it a challenge,just to get 3 meals on the table daily... but 500 plus.. I am definitely impressed and inspired...kol ha kavod... but how about a delicious recipe for souvganiot.. please... thank ypou and happy Chanukah...REGARDS FROM Australia.. definitely inspiring...
(5) Darla, December 22, 2003 12:00 AM
Thank you for sharing these delicious (and healthy!) recipes!.
(4) Sarah, December 22, 2003 12:00 AM
What About Sefardic Recipes for Chanukah?
I'm Sephardic and have never had a latke. It would be nice to see some Sephardic recipes for Chanuka featured also! Thanks!
(3) Steve Rupholdt, December 22, 2003 12:00 AM
where is the garlic
Where is the garlic, I don.t see a recipe with it. It's better.
(2) Gadiel Levi, December 22, 2003 12:00 AM
Excellent recipes
These recipes are excellent. I'm going to make sure I try every one so I can have 8 diffrent taste for Channukah
(1) Helen, December 21, 2003 12:00 AM
Wonderful recipes
I've never made these, but I'm going to give them a try. These recipes look delicious. Who doesn't like potatoes???