What To Eat With Potato Latkes?

Applesauce and sour cream are the traditional accoutrements for latkes. Some load their potato pancakes up with both toppings, while others have strong feelings about one over the other.

What do you serve with potato pancakes?

Fried potato pancakes are a delicious, savory staple from Belarus, Poland and more that make a great side dish or appetizer. Read on to find 21 suggestions of what to serve them with! Potatoes are such a versatile vegetable. They’ve found their way into meals at just about any time of day and all over the world. Is there anything better than a fried potato? Potato Pancakes (Draniki or latkes) are the perfect crispy, delicious comfort food.

1. They are a traditional staple that you can find at most special occasions and the perfect side dish to a complete holiday meal.
2. Unlike traditional American pancakes, Polish potato pancakes are a savory side dish or appetizer.
3. Shredded potatoes are combined with sweet onion, cornstarch and a large egg and fried in a hot pan over medium high heat until golden brown.

The traditional way to serve potato pancakes is as a side with a dollop of sour cream. If you wish to eat these potato cakes with something sweet they are delicious with a bit of apple sauce! If you are craving some crispy potatoes and need a delicious idea to make it a meal, you can find my favorite suggestions down below!

What goes with latkes Hanukkah?

Go Deli-Style: For a filling Hanukkah meal, make latkes the main course and serve with corned beef or pastrami, sauerkraut, mustard and any other favorite deli toppings.

What should I bring to a latke party?

How to Make Latkes – In my experience, there are two keys to making great latkes : Balance your ingredients, and thoroughly rid your potato mixture of as much moisture as possible. To do this, place your heap of shredded spuds in a dish towel you don’t mind getting a little starchy.

Twist it up and squeeze out as much excess water as you can. Getting rid of the moisture is one very important way to ensure that the potatoes not only get crispy in the pan, but that they stay crispy during your party. Besides those two tenets, potato pancakes are incredibly easy to put together—in fact, you don’t even need a recipe.

The only ingredients you need to make latkes are potatoes, onions, an egg or two, flour, and matzo meal. Feel free to play with the classic potato-onion-matzo trifecta : Swap in sweet potatoes for regular spuds; add chives, garlic, or other alliums to the mixture; or sub panko for matzo meal.

• New York Times food writer Kim Severson pan-fries her latkes and then freezes them, in a single layer, on a plastic wrapped baking sheet. When the hungry crowd arrives, she bakes them in a 425° F oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until hot and crispy.
• Bon Appétit (and Selma Brown Morrow, the Latke Lady ) reminds us that if you are pre-cooking the latkes, only fry them until they are lightly brown but not cooked all the way through, She finishes them in a 400° F oven, flipping once, until crisp and bronzed.

Why latkes are eaten at Hanukkah?

You say potato, I say latke. You know — the delicious potato pancake that nestles itself onto plates for eight nights of the year in December, usually during lively Hanukkah celebrations and dreidel games. However, considering latkes are so delicious, it’s worth wondering why this food is generally reserved for the celebration of Hanukkah rather than, you know, every day.

1. So, why do people eat latkes during Hanukkah ? (And in my family’s personal case, only Hanukkah?!) Well, there’s actually a ton of history behind it.
2. It doesn’t matter how you pronounce the starchy vegetable dish (potato, potAHto?), because it matters most how the dish is mashed, hashed, or frenched onto your plate year-round.

But on Hanukkah, one occasion of the year’s bulging holiday calendar, there’s only one way to eat them — and that would be in the form of a potato pancake. And if you’re wondering why this is and you haven’t been to a temple service in a while — or ever — I have a little history refresher-slash-lesson for you that’ll make your mother verklempt.

Or, you know, impress your Jewish boyfriend’s chorus of aunts (I’m speaking from experience here) at your first Hanukkah dinner. OK, so, let’s get started. In short, latkes are generally consumed on Hanukkah to commemorate the miracle of the oil lasting eight days in the story of the event Hanukkah comemorates, the rededication of the Holy Temple.

Ina’s Potato Latkes | Barefoot Contessa: Cook Like a Pro | Food Network

The oil lasting eight days in this story is also why we have eight candles to light on a menorah. The Nickelodeon Rugrats Hanukkah special did a great job telling the story of why we celebrate these eight days (DON’T DENY THIS IS TRUE), but if you have lost all memories from its 1996 airdate, I’ll do my best to relay a recap as to the part oil plays in this celebration.

• Hanukkah, as a holiday, celebrates rededication to the Jewish identity after it was compromised by oppressors in 168 B.C.E.
• The burning of the oil (the eternal light) for eight days by those who were escaping the oppressors is considered a miracle, because it seemed there was only enough oil that could burn for a single day in the Temple.

To celebrate the life of that ancient oil in modern celebrations of the holiday, we devour oil soaked dishes. The latkes, as we know them, are potato-based pancakes constructed of salt, onions, eggs, and spices of the chef’s choice. They’re fried in what seems like inches of oil — or sometimes even straight-up animal-rendered fat — until golden and crisp, and it feels as if beads of grease are oozing from your pores.

In a good way. They are a delight and hands down my favorite holiday-specific treat. If you want to see these pancakes year round on plates — they’re perfect for every meal of the day and then some snacks — What Jew Wanna Eat has an assortment of spruced up latke recipes to try out. For this coming Hanukkah holiday and beyond, of course.

Now that I’m an adult, I can cook latkes whenever I want them to appear on my plate whether it’s in December or July. But I have to be honest and admit that there’s nothing like my grandmother’s oil-soaked version.

Are latkes just hash browns?

Latkes have a few more ingredients than hash browns – DronG/Shutterstock Latkes and hash browns are quite similar, but latkes are made from a few more ingredients. As pointed out by Chowhound user dixieday2, hash browns typically call for just two ingredients — potatoes and onions (and, presumably, salt) — while latkes are made from a batter.

1. Potato pancakes have a bit of egg and matzo meal added to give them a little more heft,” the user wrote.
2. I like to shred my potatoes and onions coarsely and squeeze out all their excess liquid,
3. Lots of salt and pepper, and fry in plenty of oil.” The user’s comments are borne out in recipes for the two items.

A Serious Eats recipe for hash browns calls for just potatoes, salt, and oil, with no mention of onions. On the flip side of the coin, a Kitchn recipe for latkes adds grated onion, egg, and matzo meal to the mix. So there you have it: These two dishes are kissing cousins, not identical twins.

What do latkes symbolize?

December 22, 2019 / 9:22 AM / CBS News Latkes, a Hanukkah tradition Latkes, a Hanukkah tradition 05:12 After the second or two it takes to light a Hanukkah candle, what is the logical thing to do next? Eat – latkes, of course! Crispy, fried, slightly oniony potato pancakes with decadent (that’s a euphemism for fattening) toppings. Why latkes? The simple answer is that they’re meant to remind Jews of the miracle of the oil associated with Hanukkah. But this story is anything but simple. In 164 BCE, a devout Jew who called himself Judah Maccabee and his followers overthrew the Syrian Greek king who was trying to impose Greek customs and religion on the people of Israel. Hanukkah means “dedication.” “It commemorates the victory or the Maccabees, who retook the temple,” said Jayne Cohen, a Jewish food historian and cookbook writer. “And when they re-sanctified the temple and cleaned everything, they needed ritual oil for the candelabra, and the only ritual oil that was pure enough was only enough to last for one day, according to the story.” During the Jewish holiday, eating crispy, fried, slightly oniony potato pancakes represents perseverance, and a little bit of magic. But miraculously it lasted eight days. Centuries after the fact, Jews were told to celebrate by eating foods cooked in oil.

But again, why latkes? Enter Judith. “Judith was, according to all accounts, this beautiful widow,” said Cohen. “And she set out to seduce Holofernes, who was holding the town of Bethulia under siege. And according to her plan, she had these very salty pancakes, levivot, and filled them with a salty cheese.

And Holofernes, who intended to seduce or rape her, kept eating these. And he became so thirsty that he just drank incredible quantities of wine, until he passed out – at which point this beautiful widow chopped off his head!” Correspondent Martha Teichner asked, “So, how does Judith get connected with Hanukkah?” “That’s where the bizarre part comes in,” said Cohen.

What are potato cakes called in England?

British potato cakes – Potato cakes are common in the United Kingdom, In the North-East of England (particularly County Durham), there is a dish known as tattie fish, because the pancake resembles a deep fried piece of fish. The pancake consists of flour, eggs, shredded potatoes and onions.

How do you eat potato latkes?

Ever wondered how to make perfectly cooked, crispy and delicious potato latkes? Having trouble getting your latkes to stick together and fry up light and crisp? This post and video will walk you through the whole process, with links to time-tested recipes that produce amazing latkes every time! I celebrated my first Hanukkah several years before I converted to Judaism. I had studied Judaism in college, but I didn’t have any practical experience when it came to Jewish food or holiday traditions. Meanwhile, my husband-to-be was as Jewish as they come.

1. He was born and raised in Israel by two Jewish parents and a rabbi grandfather.
2. He grew up spinning dreidels and eating sufganiyot (Hanukkah jelly doughnuts).
3. I grew up singing Christmas carols and hanging stockings by the chimney with care.
4. My first attempt at cooking latkes was a minor disaster.
5. Luckily, I’ve learned a thing or two since then.

I thought it would be fun to put some of my most helpful tips into a post, so you can avoid the potato pancake pitfalls that I’ve experienced along the way. This post will give you specific tips for making amazing crispy latkes. If you’re looking for recipes, scroll to the end of this post, where I’ve linked to some fabulous, time-tested options.