Enjoy this golden potato latkes recipe – a favorite Hanukkah food ofmine and my families!
If you scroll to the end, you’ll find a FREE printable coloring page based on this recipe so that if you cook it for a crowd, you can actually send the recipe home.
Latkes, or potato pancakes, are a yummy, crispy, greasy fried food that Jews dream of year round but mainly only eat on Hanukkah.
Yeah, it’s a massive calorie splurge, but totally worth it! I expect to gain back the ten post-baby pounds I lost just on latkes this Hanukkah (kidding…) Seriously, latkes are possibly my favorite food, and while we mainly make them on Hanukkah, we do make a very similar potato kugel recipe year round.
The potato kugel is baked, but of course the fried latkes are that much better…
Thereason we eat these golden potato latkes:
For those of you looking for some background into the tradition oflatkes, the excuse is simple. When the Jews regained access to the temple, they went to light the Menorah (candelabra) which was lit daily. However, there was only enough of the special olive oil, to last for one day, and it would take eight days to get more. Miraculously, the oil lit for eight days.
The resulting tradition? Eat fried foods of course! Latkes, or levivotin Hebrew are the most common variety. Latkes is the Yiddish term. In Israel, sufganiyot – or fried, often jelly-filled donuts – are even more popular.
The reason we make these with potatoes is probably simply because a lot of Ashkenazic Jewish tradition is based on what our grandparents did while living in Europe. They ate lots of potatoes as it was cheap and they didn’t have that much money…
About the Golden Potato Latkes recipe:
This recipe makes a lot of latkes.The latkes are best eaten fresh. They are high in calories (though I don’t have a good count) as they need a decent amount of oil to fry, so eat a few and share!
If you don’t want to fry so much, fry what you want and then turn the rest into kugel by baking it in loaf pans. For such a size batch, I’d usually put about a cup of oil, so do it proportionately. For example, if you fry half the batch, add half a cup oil and bake the rest.
Naturally, my grandparents would make these golden potato latkes in small quantities, grating the ingredients using a box grater… But since we’ve got all the perks of living in the generation we do, we make it in bulk, for parties, using a food processor. I simply wouldn’t be able to without!
Note: ingredient amounts vary from recipe to recipe. Even the printable version of this golden potato latkes recipe includes a different amount of eggs – simply because I’ve done it both ways in the past… it’s really not a science. My grandparents didn’t even HAVE a recipe to work with… but the idea is here for you to replicate!
Instructions:
Grate the potatoes, zucchini, and onion in a food processor.
Combine the ingredients, with the eggs and spices in a large mixing bowl. Mix well (hands work best).
Heat a few tablespoons of oil at a time.
Add your grated mush to the pan, forming circles a few inches in diameter.
Fry on one side until golden.
Flip and fry the second side.
When the second side is golden, remove and place on a (paper) towel lined plate to absorb any oil that drips.
Eat these golden potato latkes fresh and enjoy!
If you see that you’re not going to finish all of these golden potato latkes batter/mixture at once, simply remove excess liquid (a little bit of liquid is good but a lot tends to drain out) and pour it into a loaf pan or two. Bake at 400 until golden on top.
New! Get the Hanukkah coloring page packet! You can find it in my Etsy shop, or on Gumroad, or purchase it here:
Potato pancakes have a creamy, almost mashed-potato-like center, with a thin, golden, crisp exterior.Latkes, on the other hand, should have a deeply browned crust, with wispy, lacy edges. Latkes also aren't hash browns.
These potato pancakes (called latkes) are meant to symbolize the miracle of Hanukkah, when the oil of the menorah in the ransacked Second Temple of Jerusalem was able to stay aflame for eight days even though there was only enough oil for one day. The symbolism comes in the form of the oil in which latkes are fried.
Eat – latkes, of course! Crispy, fried, slightly oniony potato pancakes with decadent (that's a euphemism for fattening) toppings. Why latkes? The simple answer is that they're meant to remind Jews of the miracle of the oil associated with Hanukkah.
A latke (Yiddish: לאַטקע latke; sometimes romanized latka, lit. "pancake") is a type of potato pancake or fritter in Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine that is traditionally prepared to celebrate Hanukkah. Latkes can be made with ingredients other than potatoes such as cheese, onion, carrot, and zucchini.
Vegetable oil or canola oil is usually best, because of its high smoking point. Latkes were traditionally made with schmaltz, or chicken fat, so if you have access to it, you should certainly add it in, because it does contribute to the flavor.
Tradition says so. Latkes are usually served at dinnertime along with a meaty main, like brisket. Mixing milk and meat at the same meal is a no-no for those who keep kosher, so sour cream would be out as a latke condiment leaving the underdog apple sauce victorious.
Only certain types of mammals, birds and fish meeting specific criteria are kosher; the consumption of the flesh of any animals that do not meet these criteria, such as pork, frogs, and shellfish, is forbidden except for locusts, which are the only kosher invertebrate.
The sweet tang of applesauce adds a contrasty punch to the potatoes and green onions, which make up latkes, while also cutting the grease from frying them. On the other hand, sour cream, while also adding its own version of tartness, can weigh the fried potato cakes down with dairy.
Fried foods, like potato pancakes and jelly doughnuts, are prepared and eaten throughout the holiday to celebrate the miracle of Hanukkah: oil that kept the menorah (an ancient lamp) lit for 8 days instead of the 1 day it was supposed to last.
Some nonreligious customs of celebration are eating treats fried in oil (which recalls the miracle of the oil), giving children gifts of money (Hanukkah gelt), and playing a game with a four-sided top called a dreidel.
In terms of actual gelt (money), parents and grandparents or other relatives may give sums of money as an official Hanukkah gift. According to a survey done in 2006, 74 percent of parents in Israel give their children Chanukah gelt.
The name of the holiday, Hanukkah, comes from the Hebrew word for “dedication,” “consecration” or “inauguration.” It refers to the Jews' rededication of the Second Temple in the second century B.C.E., after the Hellenistic Greeks of Syria had desecrated it by using it for the worship of Greek gods and the sacrifice of ...
One thing that every Hanukkah celebration has in common is the gelt. The word “gelt” means “money” in both Hebrew and Yiddish. Chocolate gelt are the chocolate coins that are typically given to children during Hanukkah. Jewish or not, you've probably seen the familiar mesh bags with the shiny wrappers inside.
A latke is a small pancake usually made with grated potatoes. Latkes are traditionally eaten during Hanukkah. Most latkes are crispy little potato pancakes that are served with apple sauce or sour cream during the eight days of Hanukkah.
A common explanation is that we eat latkes (potato pancakes) because they are cooked in oil and this remind us of the miracle that a single cruse of oil found in the Temple lasted for eight nights.
Hash browns are shredded potatoes, fried (or air-fried), til golden brown. They typically remain loose, or in shreds. Latkes, a.k.a potato pancakes, are grated or ground potatoes that are mixed with egged, flour, or other binding agents. They are one piece, like a pancake.
Are Hash Browns and Potato Pancakes the Same Thing? Potato pancakes are more complex than hash browns. Hash browns are pan-fried shredded potatoes, whereas potato pancakes are mixed with a binder, seasoned typically with onion or garlic, and formed into patties before cooking.
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Introduction: My name is Jerrold Considine, I am a combative, cheerful, encouraging, happy, enthusiastic, funny, kind person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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