Selina’s Classic Potato Latkes
Classic Potato Latkes
Settle in….this post is a little longer than usual. I have a story to tell you….
Have you ever had that experience when you meet someone and you are instantly drawn to them? It’s like they are a magnet to you. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it leaves you a little caught off guard….like….where have you been all my life?
That happened to me recently. Selina and I met on a walk in the park years ago through a mutual friend, it was but a quick hello, we shared instagrams and were on our way. Slowly, our relationship grew over the internet. She is a stunning artist and I would follow her process (her Instagram is @selinawaxman and you must go check her out!), and she would leave me comments and ideas on my recipes that were always thoughtful and encouraging.
I am unclear about what happened next, but she walked into one of my yoga classes shortly after the October 7th attack on Isreal. After class, the topic came up.
I told Selina that I wanted to somehow support to my Jewish friends on my instagram by baking or cooking something quintessentially Jewish to acknowledge the pain in the world... to somehow show my support. But I was afraid that it would be perceived as culturally inappropriate.
Selina, in her larger-than-life way, dismissed my concerns and reinforced that it would be a GREAT idea! With Hanukkah upon us, she suggested she would teach me to make classic potato latkes - the star of Jewish tables during Hanukkah. Pinch me!
These little latkes brought so much joy to my day. It might have been that I got to make them with my new friend, and that they reminded me of why I love to cook - the coming together of family and friends over food. The sharing of experiences, the collective working towards one goal: making dinner for those we love. Latkes are both humble and celebratory. We each have traditions that are sacred to us….it’s what makes us human and connects us. I feel honoured to have shared in Selina’s. .
Selina’s Classic Potato Latkes
Ingredients:
6 potatoes, peeled (we used russet potatoes), chopped small enough to fit through the opening of your food processor.
2 cooking onions, quartered
3 egg
1 tbsp salt (more is better!)…maybe keep on-hand to taste.
1/4 cup flour
2 tbsp oil (we used canola)
2 tbsp baking powder
LOTS of oil for frying
To serve: sour cream, crème fraiche, dill, applesauce, sugar (!), smoked salmon or caviar
Directions:
Grate the potatoes - we started doing this by hand and VERY quickly switched to the food processor! We didn’t have enough skin on our knuckles to carry on!
While you are grating the potatoes in the food processor, occasionally add in the onions so that they get mixed through the potatoes.
Place the potatoes into a very large bowl lined with a tea towel. Sprinkle the potatoes with a little bit of salt to draw out the moisture.
Squeeze out any additional moisture then add in the eggs, more salt, flour, baking powder and oil. Mix to combine. Form little pancakes or patties with the potato mixture. Continue to squeeze out any extra liquid, but don’t create dense pancakes - I made that mistake. Try to fluff the potato bits up a bit after squeezing them. It’s nice when there are little stringy, spaghetti like pieces of potato hanging off the edges of the latkes.
Heat a large skillet (cast iron works great here, if you have) over med-high heat. Add in enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan.
Add the latkes to the pan and let them brown in the oil. You’ll need to watch them closely - don’t let them burn. Approx 2-3 minutes per side. Flip and repeat on the 2nd side.
Remove the finished latkes to a paper towel lined bowl or a cookie rack and continue until you’ve used all your potato mixture. You will likely need to add more oil each time to start a new batch.
To keep the latkes warm, place them in the oven at 175F.
Note: we doubled or tripled this recipe
Things to Serve with/on latkes:
Applesauce
Sour Cream, or crème fraiche
Smoked Salmon, or caviar (if your fancy)
Fresh dill
Scallions, sliced
This recipe is from Selina (and me) to you. Whether you celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah or something else entirely, consider making latkes and adding them to your holiday spread. These little nests of crispy, fried goodness are not only delicious, but are a lovely way to recognize and support different traditions and cultures.
If you are looking for more information on how to support your Jewish friends, and to learn more about the situation between Isreal and Hamas, I found a couple of links:
Isreal and Palestine: A Crash Course in world history 223
From the Palestinian perspective, I recently attended a talk by Bassem Eid. It was powerful and so informative.
And! If you tried this recipe, please let me know how it went! I always love to hear what you are creating in your kitchen. I hope to inspire fun and creativity and am honoured to be a part of your family’s kitchen lovestory.