Featured Photography Credit: Latkes photos by Alison Bickel; method photos by Sheryl Julian
Over 30 years ago, when my oldest son was enrolled in pre-school at what we used to call the “Green School” (not because its mission was to be eco-friendly but rather because all of the buildings were painted green) I met my dear friend Hanna. Over the years Hanna has taught me so much about celebrating life but probably the most concrete legacy she has left the Gets is her fabulous Hanukkah potato pancake recipe. No matter where we are or what we are doing, the family is never too busy to gather for a night of candle lighting, dreidel playing, and latkes eating.
This truly is the easiest latke recipe ever. Please, please do not be turned off by the fact that it calls for using the Manishewitz potato pancake mix as a base. By adding fresh shredded potatoes and freshly grated onion, these latkes taste and look better than any “homemade” recipe we have ever tried.
The Best Hanukkah Latke, Ever!
INGREDIENTS
- 1 box potato pancake mix (Manischewitz)
- 2 eggs
- 4 shredded potatoes
- 1/2 grated onion
- 1 1/4 cups cold water
- 1/8″ vegetable oil in large skillet
- salt & pepper
DIRECTIONS
- Follow the directions on the box EXCEPT
- Be sure to use 1 cup less water than specified on the package
- Add 4 shredded potatoes (food processor)
- Add a little (1/4 cup) grated onion
- Salt & pepper to taste
- In a bowl, mix the potato pancakes mix, eggs and water. Let stand for 2 minutes.
- Now add the fresh ingredients
- Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat.
- Drop the potato pancakes batter into the frying pan using a large spoon. Make sure the potato pancakes are not touching each other.
- Cook the potato pancakes on one side for 3 minutes (or until golden brown), then carefully flip with the spatula and cook on the other side for 3 minutes (or until golden brown). Note: The first few batches usually take a little longer to cook so don’t be too much of a clock watcher.
- Remove the potato pancakes from the frying pan and serve immediately or keep warm in the oven.
We use an electric skillet to fry the latkes so they come out perfect every time!
Makes approximately 40 latkes
Serve with applesauce and sour cream (unless you are serving an otherwise pareve meal)
Latkes + Brisket
For the main course we highly recommend serving either a brisket or other braised meat. This year, because we had a big crowd, we decided to do a side by side comparison taste test of store bought brisket or the pricier Snake River Farms brisket. We prepared both using an old family recipe passed down from generation to generation. This recipe calls for so many “old fashion” ingredients we truly thought they would mask any discernible difference in meat quality. We hate to admit it but we were wrong. The SRF American Wagyu Brisket was so much better! And definitely worth the additional cost.
Happy Hanukkah!
Dare to be Great!
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