With Hanukkah just around the corner, we searched high and low for the best latke recipes—these are so good that they would even put your bubbe to shame! We’re excited to share three recipes: one from our New York Community Manager, Michele Schulman’s family, one from MH Houston resident Sam Wooten, and an internet special from AllRecipes.com! Plus, if you scroll to the end you might even find queen Martha Stewart’s very own Sufganiyot (donut) recipe… Happy Hanukkah!
Schulman Family Latkes
Ingredients:
- 6 large potatoes, peeled and shredded
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
- 3/4 cup matzo meal (or potato starch)
- Garlic and pepper to taste
- Safflower or vegetable oil
Recipe:
- Peel and shred potatoes
- Finely chop onion
- Run cold water over mixture in colander and press out and drain excess moisture
- Move mixture to large bowl and add eggs, salt, matzo meal, and any additional seasonings
- Mix together
- Scoop and fry in hot oil
- Flip when outer edge of latke begin to brown. Serve with apple sauce or sour cream!
Sam Wooten’s (MH Houston) Latke Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 large russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut lengthwise into quarters
- 1 large onion, peeled and cut into quarters
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Safflower or other oil for frying
Recipe:
- Using a food process with a course grating disc, grate the potatoes and onion. Transfer the mixture to a clean dishtowel and squeeze and wring out as much of the liquid as possible.
- Working quickly, transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the eggs, flour, salt, baking powder and pepper, and mix until the flour is absorbed.
- In a medium heavy-bottomed pan over a medium-high heat, pour in 1/4 inch of the oil. Once hot, use a heaping tablespoon to drop the batter into the hot pan, cooking in batches. Use a spatula to flatten and shape the drops into discs. When the edges of the latkes are brown and crispy, flip. Cook until the second side is deeply browned. Transfer latkes onto a paper towel-lined plate to drain, and sprinkle with salt while still warm.
Cajun Potato Latkes – allrecipes.com
Ingredients
2 cups peeled, shredded potatoes
¼ onion, shredded
⅓ cup chopped green onion
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or as needed
1 ½ teaspoons Cajun seasoning, or to taste
1 cup canola oil, or as needed
Recipe:
- Place the potatoes in a cloth, and wring them to remove as much moisture as possible. Mix the potatoes, onion, green onion, eggs, flour, and Cajun seasoning together in a bowl until thoroughly combined.
- Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers (oil should be about 1/3 inch deep). Drop about 2 tablespoons of the potato mixture per patty into the hot oil, and flatten the potatoes to make the patties 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick. Brown the patties in the hot oil until golden and crisp on the bottom, about 5 minutes, then flip and cook on the other side. Drain the latkes on paper towels, and serve hot.
Martha Stewart’s Sufganiyot
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
- 1 envelope active dry yeast (1 scant tablespoon)
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1/4 cup sugar, plus 1/2 cup for coating
- Pinch of salt
- 2 large eggs, separated
- 2 tablespoons margarine or unsalted butter, room temperature
- Peanut oil, for frying, plus more for bowl
- 1/4 cup raspberry or strawberry jam or jelly
Recipe:
- In a large bowl, stir together the warm water and yeast. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add 3/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt; mix until well combined. Add egg yolks and remaining 1 3/4 cups flour. Mix until combined, then knead dough in bowl until all flour is incorporated. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface; knead a few minutes until smooth. Knead in margarine until incorporated.
- Transfer dough to a well-oiled bowl, turning several times to coat entirely with oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
Bring dough to room temperature, about 30 minutes. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough into an 11-inch square, about 1/8 inch thick. Using a 2-inch cookie cutter (or a glass), cut out about 24 (2-inch) rounds, dipping cutter in flour as needed to prevent sticking. Reroll scraps; cut out about 16 more rounds. - Line a baking sheet with a clean kitchen towel. In a small bowl, lightly beat egg whites.
- Brush edge of a dough round with egg white, then mound 1/2 teaspoon jam in center.
- Top with another round; press edges to seal. Repeat with remaining rounds. Transfer to prepared baking sheet; let rise until puffy, 20 to 30 minutes.
- Heat a few inches of oil in a large, heavy pot until it reaches 360 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer or a scrap of dough sizzles upon contact. Working in batches of 4 or 5, carefully slip doughnuts into hot oil. Fry, turning once, until golden brown, about 1 minute (doughnuts will fry very quickly and puff up). Using a slotted spoon, transfer doughnuts to paper towels to drain.
- Place remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a medium bowl. While doughnuts are still hot, dip them in sugar, turning to coat. Serve immediately.
