Ah, Hanukkah- a time of year filled with the sweet smell of frying potatoes, the warmth of family and friends gathering, and the flicker of candles dancing on the menorah. For us, no Hanukkah celebration is complete without a big batch of latkes. And after years of trying different recipes, we've finally settled on our all-time favorite- Ina Garten's latke recipe. But of course, we've made a few adjustments over the years to make it our own.
First things first, let's go over the recipe. You'll need 2 large baking potatoes, finely grated yellow onion, an extra-large egg, all-purpose flour, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and of course, canola oil.
Peel and grate the potato. Now here's our first bit of advice- save yourself some effort and invest in a food processor. We used to grate all of our potatoes by hand on a box grater, and after making latkes for 50 people— it was a serious arm workout that we couldn’t sustain. With a food processor, though, the grating process takes just a few minutes and is much less of a hassle.
Next— Here's where the real work comes in- use a dish rag or cheese cloth to squeeze out as much liquid from the potatos as possible. This step is crucial if you want your latkes to get nice and crispy when you fry them up. Trust us- it's worth the extra effort.
Combine the potatoes in a bowl with the egg, flour, salt, and pepper, and mix well.
Once your latke mixture is prepped, you'll heat up some canola oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat— we use our cast iron skillet.
Scoop about a tablespoon of the potato mixture into the sizzling oil and let it cook for 2 minutes before flipping it over and cooking for another 2 minutes. You'll know they're ready when they're crisp on the outside and golden brown. Serve with sour cream, green onions, and apple sauce, and enjoy!
