The Gold Family Latkes Recipes

POTATO LATKES I

Steps:

• Place the potatoes in a cheesecloth and wring, extracting as much moisture as possible.
• In a medium bowl stir the potatoes, onion, eggs, flour and salt together.
• In a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until hot. Place large spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the hot oil, pressing down on them to form 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick patties. Brown on one side, turn and brown on the other. Let drain on paper towels. Serve hot!

BAKED LATKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper marked as safe for high heat baking or with nonstick foil. Spray the parchment paper or foil with oil.
• Grate the potatoes using your food processor's grating attachment. Wipe the food processor clean with a paper towel, and use the food processor's standard blade to chop the onion.
• Place the shredded potatoes and the chopped onion in a colander over a bowl and press firmly with your hands, repeatedly, to remove as much liquid as possible.
• Empty the bowl from the liquid, wipe with a paper towel, and transfer the potato/onion mixture to the bowl.
• In another small bowl, beat the egg with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
• Add the egg mixture to the potato mixture and stir, then add the flour and stir to combine.
• Drop spoonfuls of the mixture into the prepared baking sheet, forming 12 very thin pancakes- press with your hands to flatten the patties as much as you can, while keeping their shape.
• Generously spray the latkes with oil.
• Bake the latkes for 15 minutes, until crisp and deep golden brown on the bottom. Remove pan from oven, flip the latkes to the other side, spray again with oil, and bake 10-15 more minutes, until crisp and deep golden brown on the second side.
• Serve immediately, with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt or sour cream.

CLASSIC POTATO LATKES

Steps:

• Before you begin making the latkes, place your wire cooling rack close to the area where you will be frying the latkes. Place a layer of paper towels below the cooling rack to catch excess oil. Cut the potatoes into large chunks and shred using a hand grater or food processor shredding attachment with large holes (large shreds). I really recommend using the food processor, it saves a ton of time and will help you avoid tears when grating the onion.
• Place grated potato into a bowl and immediately cover with cold water.
• Meanwhile, grate the onion using the grater or food processor attachment with fine holes (small shreds).
• Drain the potato shreds in a colander. Rinse and dry the bowl used to soak the shreds and set aside.
• Place drained potato shreds and grated onion in the center of a clean tea towel or multiple layers of cheesecloth.
• Wrap the shreds up in the cloth, twisting the cloth to secure the bundle, and squeeze firmly to remove excess liquid from the shreds.
• Pour potato and onion into the clean dry bowl. Stir the shreds with a fork to make sure the grated onion is evenly mixed throughout the potato shreds.
• In a skillet, add oil to reach a depth of 1/8 inch. If using schmaltz, add 1/4 cup to the oil. The schmaltz will add more savory flavor to the latkes. Heat slowly over medium to about 365 degrees F. While oil is heating, use the fork to stir the matzo meal, beaten eggs, potato starch, salt and pepper into the potato and onion shreds. Add salt and pepper to taste; I add about 1 1/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. You can sprinkle on more salt to taste after cooking, if desired. Take care to make sure the egg and seasonings are fully mixed throughout the potato shreds.
• Scoop up 3 tbsp of the potato mixture and shape into a tightly compacted disk.Place the disk carefully into the hot oil. Latkes can break apart at this point, they're very delicate. If you can get them into the hot oil in one piece, chances are they will stick together - frying them is like the "glue" that holds them together. It takes a gentle touch, and it may take you some practice to get the "feel" for it.The oil should sizzle, but not pop when the latke hits it; if the oil jumps wildly or smokes, it is too hot. If it only bubbles weakly, the oil is not hot enough. Use the first latke to test the oil temperature, and don't fry a whole batch until the temperature is right.
• Continue shaping the latkes in this way, using 3 tablespoons of potato mixture for each latke. Fry in batches of 4-5 latkes at a time (no more than that - don't crowd the pan) for 2-3 minutes per side until brown and crispy.
• Remove the latkes from the pan using a metal spatula and place them on the wire cooling rack to drain.I recommend serving latkes fresh within 10 minutes of frying them, if your cooking schedule permits. If you need to make them ahead, fry them 2 hours or less before serving. You can also freeze them if you're not serving them right away.
• To Reheat Latkes: Place them on an ungreased, unlined cookie sheet. To reheat from room temperature, place in a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes (7 if using a convection oven), until heated through, just prior to serving. From frozen, it can take 15-25 minutes to reheat. Sprinkle with more salt, if desired, and serve latkes with applesauce and/or sour cream (or dairy free sour cream).

THE GOLD FAMILY LATKES

Steps:

• Cook potatoes in salted water to cover until barely tender about 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse under cold water. Cool potatoes and peel with a sharp knife. Coarsely shred potatoes lengthwise (long strands help hold the latkes together) into a bowl using large holes of a grater and stir in onion, salt and white pepper to taste. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then add half of potatoes, spreading with a spatula to form an even cake. Cook until underside is golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Invert a large plate over skillet and invert latke onto plate. Add 1 tablespoon oil to skillet and slide latke back in. Cook until underside is golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Slide latke onto serving plate and keep warm. Make another in same manner.