Allison’s Latkes + Apple Sauce
The Tamid Latke*
Shared with love from Allison Powell**
Shared with love from Allison Powell**
Cooking latkes on Hanukah in oil is to re-enact the miracle of oil in the Days of the Maccabees! Send in pictures of your latke experience so we can add them to this page! Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 4 large russet potatoes (about 2 lbs)
- 1 medium onion, finely grated
- 1 large egg
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour (more if needed)
- salt & pepper to taste
- grapeseed oil for frying (about ½ cup)
Directions:
Peel and finely grate the potatoes. Add the onion, and squeeze to press out any moisture. In a large bowl, stir together the potato mixture, egg, baking powder, and flour. Season well with salt and pepper.Next: Heat some of the oil (about 1/8 inch) in a large, heavy skillet over moderate-to-high heat. Drop potato mixture into the skillet, 2 Tbsp at a time, and smooth the tops with the back of a spoon. Don’t crowd pancakes, they should not touch. Fry, carefully turning them once with a spatula, 4-5 minutes per side or until dark golden brown and crisp. Remove from pan onto paper towels to drain. Repeat, stirring potato mixture again thoroughly before each batch and adding oil as necessary.Serve with sour cream and/or applesauce.
Peel and finely grate the potatoes. Add the onion, and squeeze to press out any moisture. In a large bowl, stir together the potato mixture, egg, baking powder, and flour. Season well with salt and pepper.Next: Heat some of the oil (about 1/8 inch) in a large, heavy skillet over moderate-to-high heat. Drop potato mixture into the skillet, 2 Tbsp at a time, and smooth the tops with the back of a spoon. Don’t crowd pancakes, they should not touch. Fry, carefully turning them once with a spatula, 4-5 minutes per side or until dark golden brown and crisp. Remove from pan onto paper towels to drain. Repeat, stirring potato mixture again thoroughly before each batch and adding oil as necessary.Serve with sour cream and/or applesauce.
I like to use grapeseed oil because it has a high smoking point, and I use cheesecloth to squeeze the excess moisture from the grated potatoes and onion. Enjoy!
Makes 16 latkes. *Adapted from David Rosengarten’s recipe
Aunt Irma’s Applesauce
Ingredients:
- 6 each, Cortland & Rome apples
- 4 Tbsp salt
- juice of ½ lemon
- ½ cup water
- 1½ tsp vanilla
- cinnamon & any other spices you prefer (ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, etc.), to taste
Directions:
Fill sink and add salt and lemon juice, soak whole apples for half hour, then rinse and scrub apples. Peel, core, and dice apples, place in large pot, and pour over ½ cup water. Cook on medium-high heat, covered. Check after 10 minutes, then every 5, lifting sauced apples from bottom of pot. Once softened and bubbly, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until desired consistency (usually about 35 minutes). Once heat is off, stir in vanilla and spices.If storing in jars, do not tighten lids until sauce is completely cooled or refrigerated.
Fill sink and add salt and lemon juice, soak whole apples for half hour, then rinse and scrub apples. Peel, core, and dice apples, place in large pot, and pour over ½ cup water. Cook on medium-high heat, covered. Check after 10 minutes, then every 5, lifting sauced apples from bottom of pot. Once softened and bubbly, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until desired consistency (usually about 35 minutes). Once heat is off, stir in vanilla and spices.If storing in jars, do not tighten lids until sauce is completely cooled or refrigerated.
**Allison Markin Powell, moderator of Tamid’s Jewish Book Group of the Lower East Side, is a Japanese literary translator and editor. She has translated works by Osamu Dazai, Hiromi Kawakami, and Motoyuki Shibata, among others, and has worked in the publishing industry for over a dozen years. She lives with her husband on Grand Street.