Potato Scallion Latkes with Sour Cream or Creme Fraiche
We topped ours with light sour cream and sprinkled on some additional fresh scallions. Another delicious option is topping with creme fraiche and smoked salmon!
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INGREDIENTS:
2 ½ Pounds baking potatoes - Russet is preferred (this is about 3 potatoes), I used Yukon Gold (6 Medium Large) and had to add an additional straining
1 Small shallot
1 Medium onion or ½ large onion
2 Extra Large/Jumbo organic eggs
1 Tablespoon dried chives
¼ Cup scallion (chopped with additional for sprinkling over final serving - optional)
¼ Cup Matzo Meal (or unbleached flour) - to make matzo meal, take matza & place into blender/food processor - blend until it is a fine ‘flour like’ consistency
3 Tablespoons salted butter
1 Teaspoon Kosher salt
½ Teaspoon baking powder (aluminum free)
Vegetable Oil for cooking
Light sour cream
KITCHEN ESSENTIALS FOR THIS RECIPE:
Vegetable Peeler
Fork
8 - 10” Skillet
Tongs & Spatula
Plate & Paper towels
Preparing the Latkes Mixture
Wash, peel and grate the potatoes, onion & shallot (I found that the food processor was the easiest way to get the onions/shallots to the desired consistency - grating was difficult)
Place colander/strainer over a large bowl - you will move the the potatoes,onions and shallot into the colander and press gently to remove the excess moisture
Use a fork to press the potatoes/onion/shallot, gently mix and press again - you will see water starting to pool under the strainer
Repeat this a couple of times until you are ready to combine with remaining ingredients before cooking
You will see the liquid pooling at the bottom of the bowl - when you are ready to add remaining ingredients, pour off the water - there will be a slight residual texture on the bottom of the bowl - this is ok to keep in the bowl
Melt the butter and let it cool for few minutes
Break & beat the eggs, add the dried chives to the eggs and set aside
Transfer the potatoes/onion/shallot which had been draining back to the large bowl
Add your butter and stir, add eggs & stir, add matzo meal (or flour) & stir, add shallots, baking powder and salt - stir until all are evenly incorporated
If after you mix these there is liquid remaining, pour out (use strainer) - depending on the potatoes, you may not have excess moisture - I had to do this twice
Preparing to Cook
Place double layer of paper towel on a large plate - you will place the latkes on this when they are fried - this will drain any excess oil
Turn burner on high and heat large skillet with vegetable oil in it - use enough to coat the entire bottom and have about ⅛” - ¼” of oil to cook in (this will hest quickly - do not walk away). To check if oil is hot enough, I add a tiny drop of the latkes mixture and if it bubbles it’s ready
I use a measuring cup (¼ cup size) to ensure the latkes are somewhat uniform in size so make sure you have some cup on hand to transfer the latkes onto skillet
NOW FOR THE FUN PART - COOKING!
Turn burner down from high to medium high (i.e. my burner goes from High to 6 - 1, I keep the heat between 5-6)
Taking your cup, carefully spoon the latkes onto the skillet and press down to make them flat
I used a fork to press them and spread them out - you can also use the back of a spoon or spatula
Cook until the edges look very crisp - about 3-5 min, carefully flip over - I used a spatula and tongs so I could do this without splattering any of the oil - BE CAREFUL, the oil is hot!
I cooked these 2 at a time on a 10” skillet so they would not be crowded
Once the latkes are done, transfer carefully onto the paper towel and add your next latkes to the skillet
You may need to add more oil - always make sure you have enough on the skillet to cover the entire pan
Once all the latkes are done, pat them gently with clean paper towel and transfer to your serving plate
Add a dollop of light sour cream or creme fraiche, sprinkle on some of the remaining scallion or add a slice of smoked salmon
If you have any leftovers, store in a sealed container, refrigerate for 1 day
When you are ready to reheat, use either a non-stick baking sheet or place onto parchment paper - heat on 350 for 5 min or until warmed to your liking….Enjoy!
