Here’s a hash browns recipe that you’re going to latke a lot!
When it comes to how to make hash browns, the best recipes come from Jewish households, where potato pancakes, called latkes, have been traditionally fried every December for the holiday of Hanukkah for centuries. December is also when potatoes, onions, and olive oil are fresh.
Hanukkah celebrates the expulsion from Jerusalem of Syrian-Greek occupiers by freedom fighters called Maccabees in 168 BC. Legend has it that when the main temple was recaptured, there was only enough olive oil to keep the holy lamp burning for one day. But that small amount of oil kept the lamp alive for the eight days it took to harvest, press, and purify more oil: a miracle. Hanukkah became the eight day holiday to commemorate the miracle of the oil, when Jews eat foods fried in olive oil and exchange gifts. Fried chicken, latkes, and a sort of doughnut are also traditional.
Latkes for a crowd
Here’s how restaurants make lots of latkes at once:
1) Put a large rimmed baking pan into the oven and pour in about 1/4 inch (6.4 mm) of oil. Preheat to 450°F (232.2°C) for about 20 minutes.
2) Slip the latkes into the hot oil and paint the tops of the latkes with a bit of the hot oil.
3) Bake/fry them for 6-8 minutes on one side until GBD, turn, and bake for another 5 minutes or so. Add oil as needed, but wait until it heats up before cooking.
Innovations?
Latke competitions are not as widespread as barbecue cookoffs, but they seem to be growing in popularity. Since I am addicted to potato pancakes, I read every latke recipe I see. Here are some of the innovations I have read about that you may wish to try:
- For extra crispiness, use egg whites only or add corn starch.
- Partially boil the potatoes for about 10 minutes, let them dry and cool before grating.
- Use bread crumbs or matzoh meal instead of flour in the mix.
- Coat the patties with bread crumbs, matzoh meal, or panko.
Upscale latkes?
Latkes, originally peasant food, have been going upscale lately, appearing on the menus of white table cloth restaurants. Chefs now make them with everything from sweet potato (yum), zucchini, carrot, apples, pears, cauliflower, mushrooms, lentils, celery root, rice, cabbage, parsnips, olives, and even beets (yuk). I have even seen these ingredients added to potato latkes.
I have also heard of adding fresh herbs such as chives, thyme, parsley, or rosemary, ginger, and even parmesan cheese.
For garnishes, the shee shee crowd uses creme fraiche and caviar, smoked salmon and whipped cream cheese, sour cream with chives and salmon eggs, Greek yogurt with fresh figs, and watercress sprinkled on everything. While you’re at it, why not put a sunnyside up egg or eggs benedict on top?
If you’re not Jewish and you really want to cross the streams, fry them in bacon or duck fat, and put chopped bacon in the blend. If you are Jewish and you even think about this, well the punishment is worse than growing hair on your palms…
Oy vey!
In other cultures
Potato pancakes are a treat in many cultures. The basic recipe is pretty much the same around the world, but there are some fun variations.
Hash browns are a staple in diners across the US and in some fast food restaurants. Cooked on a griddle, often they are odd shaped or served in loose chunks. In fast food restaurants they are molded into patties and deep fried.
Boxty are big in Ireland where the ditty goes “Boxty on the griddle, boxty on the pan, If you can’t bake boxty, Sure you’ll never get a man.”
Rästis in Switzerland are the diameter of whatever pan they are cooked in and can even be frisbee sized. Cheese, bacon, and apple are often mixed in. The trick is in flipping them.
Reibekuchen or Kartoffel Plätzchen or Kartoffelpuffer is what they are called in Germany and they are usually served with apple sauce. Däppekuchen is another German delicacy, especially in the Rheinland, of grated potatoes, eggs, and ham or sausage, piled deep into a casserole, topped with bacon, and baked.
Placki Ziemniaczane is what they are called in Poland.
Raggmunk are served with bacon and jam in Sweden.
Gamjajeon are the Korean version, often made with hot peppers.
Draniki is what you ask for in Russia.
Aloo tikki are mashed potato patties in India, often with herbs and spices, especially coriander.
And then there are Tater Tots…
Want a new set of tools? Check out Meathead’s new book, The Meathead Method. It’s a toolbox that will elevate all your cooking. Alton Brown calls it “The only book on outdoor cookery you’ll ever need.”
Latkes – The Best Hash Browns
Rate this RecipeMakes
About 8 latkesSpecial Tools
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat. Preheat your oven to 300°F (148.9°C). Take a sheet pan, put a rack over it, and put it in the oven. This is used for draining and crisping the pancakes and keeping them hot when they come out of the oil.
- Prep the binder. Crack the egg into a large mixing bowl, and beat it lightly with a fork or whisk. Add the flour, baking soda, salt, pepper, and stir together with the fork. Don't worry if there are lumps.
- Tater time. Peel the potatoes. Now shred them with the big holes on a box grater or a food processor. We are now going to try to get as much moisture as possible out of the potatoes. Nothing works better than squeezing the shreds in a potato ricer. Don't worry, it won't push them through the holes. If you don't have a ricer pick up a small amount of the grated potatoes and, over the sink, with your hands, squeeze out as much water as possible. Repeat. Then spread the grated potato mix out on a double layer of paper towels, cover with another double layer of paper towels, and press hard. Another method is to put the potatoes into the center of a few layers of cheesecloth, a clean T-shirt, or a clean kitchen towel, pull together the edges making a pouch, and twist and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Add the potatoes to the bowl with the egg mixture, and stir gently until the potatoes are all coated. Chop and mix in the onions.
- Fry. Pour enough oil into the pot to cover the bottom about ¼ inch deep. You don't want to totally submerge the patties so steam can escape the side above the surface. More importantly, you want the potatoes in contact with the bottom because hot metal conducts more heat that hot oil. Heat the oil to about 375°F (190.6°C). Get it all the way up there because the cold potatoes will cool it off quickly.
- Patty time. One at a time, make patties about 3 inches (76.2 mm) across and about 1/2 inch (12.7 mm) high, but leave the edges jagged. An ice cream scoop is a good measuring device. Ease the patties into the oil one at a time about a minute apart, being careful not to splash. Flatten them immediately so they aree about 1/2-inch thick. You should be able to fit four into a 12 inch (304.8 mm) pot at a time, and they should not be touching much. The reason to stagger their start time is to keep the oil temperature hot. If you add four at a time, the oil temp will drop and the pancakes can get soggy. When you add the last one, you should notice the edges of the first one are getting golden after 5 to 7 minutes. Check the bottom of the first patty by lifting it with a slotted spatula. It should be golden, but there still may be milky parts showing. Flip it when it is completely golden. It is easiest with two spatulas or a spatula and a large spoon so they don't splatter or break. Flip the patties away from you so they don't splash. Cook another 3 to 4 minutes on the second side until golden. Remove the patty and gently put it on the rack over the baking pan in the oven to crisp even more and to make sure the center is cooked through. Leave them in the oven for about 10 minutes to drain, crisp, and be sure the centers are cooked.
- Treats! When they are all done, scoop out the bits that are left behind in the oil, drain, cool, and eat them yourself. Cook's treat!
- Serve. After they have been in the oven for about 10 minutes the latkes will darken a bit, crisp even more on the outsides, and cook thoroughly through the center. Sprinkle lightly with large grain salt and serve hot. Some folks like to place a dollop of apple sauce or sour cream on them. L'chiam!
