Growing up, I was a picky eater. Even though there’s a whole lot of traditional Hanukkah foods, I mostly stuck to sufganiyot, jelly donuts. This year, however, I decided it was time to branch out and try potato latkes.
Now, I had eaten latkes once before when my dad had made them, but I didn’t particularly like them, as I had never really enjoyed potatoes in any form that wasn’t a french fry. However, my tastes have changed drastically since the age of eight, and now I was determined to make this traditional Jewish recipe.
Since all my Jewish family lives out of state, we’ve never really had Hanukkah family dinners before. We would light the candles and my sister and I would get gifts, but our Hanukkah food selection was just a trip to Krispy Kreme for non-authentic sufganiyot.
This recipe puts a spin on the traditional approach, as you bake the latkes on a cupcake tray instead of deep frying them individually in oil. This makes them healthier and much easier to make while still maintaining a delicious, crunchy texture.
Normally, latkes are served with applesauce and sour cream, but I strongly dislike sour cream, so I just had them with applesauce and a little bit of cinnamon. The sweet and savory flavors complemented each other very well, and they tasted really good. The latkes were super easy to make, especially with the help of my dad.
So if you like hash browns, apple sauce, and Jewish tradition, you should give these latkes a go. Most of the ingredients and required materials can be found in any well equipped kitchen, and the admittedly tedious process of shredding potatoes and onions by hand is worth it for the delicious final result.
Ingredients
- 5 potatoes
- 1 onion
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 large egg
- A pinch black pepper
- 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Olive oil spray or any non stick cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 F
- Squeeze the potatoes to remove excess moisture
- Grate the potatoes and onion into large bowl
- Add in the olive oil, egg, salt and pepper, then mix
- Spray your cupcake baking pan well with the oil
- Use a tablespoon to distribute the mixture into the cupcake pan
- Note: do not fill the cupcake pan too high. You want them to be flatter just like regular latkes
- After pouring in the mixture, press down a bit then spray the tops with the oil
- Bake in the oven for about 30 to 40 minutes until the tops are browned a little. If the tops aren’t browning, put the oven on broil for a few minutes and the tops should brown nicely
- Allow to cool
- Use a spoon to go around the edges and under the latkes to lift out of the pan
