As we light the Hanukkah candles beginning Sunday evening, Dec. 14, I can’t help but remember the celebrations of my youth.
My mother’s family was very close, and we cousins (13 of us) were raised together practically as siblings. On holidays, we squeezed into my grandparents’ tiny apartment. There were so many of us that my grandpa, Papa Harry, even put a board in the children’s table.
The highlight, of course, was our Hanukkah party. The pile of latkes! The mountain of presents! The noise! The excitement! The squabbles!
Then, when we cousins started producing the great-grandchildren, we moved the celebration to Aunt Sally’s basement, which bulged with our bounty. (No one ever thought of drawing names for a gift exchange back then!)
When my grandma, Mama Hinda, passed away in 1976, I took her latke frying pan and have been using it to make these impossibly crunchy, irresistibly addictive Hanukkah latkes ever since.
I’ve noticed through the years, however, that a snobbery has developed among latke aficionados, who view with disdain from their lofty perch those who use a blender to process the potatoes.
Their mantra? Shredded is better. “Oh, no,” they tsk-tsk when they see my recipe, just a touch of feigned sympathy in their eyes. “I use the food processor. I like texture.”
Texture? You want texture? I’ll give you texture. Use my SPLAT! method, and you’ll get all the texture you want – all crispy outsides with practically no insides. My family hovers over the pan to fight over the thinnest ones that are so crunchy and full of holes you can practically see through them. (See Step 3 in the recipe for the secret of my very crispy latkes.)
If you want to prepare the batter up to a day ahead, here’s a trick taught to me years ago by my friend, Elaine Asa, wife of Rabbi Emeritus Haim Asa (of blessed memory) of Fullerton’s Temple Beth Tikvah.
Prepare the batter minus the flour, and pour the mixture into a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. (Do not use plastic.) Tap the jar on the counter to release any air bubbles, cover the batter well with a thick layer of flour, and refrigerate up to 24 hours.
When ready to cook, remove the flour layer with the black ring that has formed beneath it. Then add fresh flour, stir and fry.
Fullerton’s Judy Bart Kancigor is the author of “Cooking Jewish” and “The Perfect Passover Cookbook.” Her website is cookingjewish.com.
SPLAT! POTATO LATKES
From “Cooking Jewish” by Judy Bart Kancigor; the yield is about 3 dozen
Ingredients:
• 2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 medium-size onion, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 medium-size firm apple, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher (coarse) salt, or to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup all-purpose flour or matzo meal
• Peanut or canola oil, for frying
• Sour cream and/or applesauce, for dipping
Method:
1. Place eggs in blender. Add onion, apple, salt, pepper and baking powder. Drain potatoes; squeeze dry in paper towels. Add enough potatoes to fill blender (all 2 pounds may not fit). Turn on blender, and pushing down on sides with rubber spatula, blend until potatoes just move around. Add remaining potatoes as you’re blending, but do not over-process or make too smooth. The texture should resemble applesauce.
2. Transfer batter to large bowl; add flour. Batter should be flowing, but not too thin.
3. Now for the real secret of my very crisp latkes: Pour enough oil into large skillet to coat bottom. Heat oil over medium-high heat until quite hot, but not smoking. Scoop up about 2 tablespoons batter, hold spoon about 8 inches above pan, and spill it all at once. SPLAT! Remove your hand quickly so you don’t burn yourself. (It’s all in the wrist.)
Batter will splatter, forming holes, the better to hold the sour cream or applesauce. Keeping the temperature of the oil constant is key, so don’t crowd the pan. Allow the temperature to go down, and you risk soggy latkes.
4. Repeat with as many latkes as will fit skillet without crowding. Cook until browned, about 1 minute. Then flip them over and cook other side. Drain well on paper towels. Repeat, adding more oil as needed.