The first time I tasted these was at a Jewish restaurant in Brooklyn, NY. I can’t remember how long ago that was. Maybe it was 15 years ago when I still lived in New York? Who knows. I remember them as these thin, crispy, savory potato pancakes that I dipped into sour cream (that’s what everyone else was doing).
I’ll be honest, I wasn’t blown away by the experience the first time I ate them. I expected something that tasted different from the hash browns I typically had for breakfast through my early twenties. I shrugged off Latkes until years later, after moving to the Bay Area, one of my co-workers invited me over for dinner at her Jewish mother’s house. The featured side item? Latkes!
Oh the flavors! My friend’s mom proved why I’ll never pass a home cooked meal for take-out. She infused so many flavors into these pancakes, and my taste-buds exploded with excitement. She also didn’t make them razor thin. She served hers a bit thicker than traditional Latkes…even though they were still crispy on the outside.
So when I prepared these, I remembered that experience. I wanted these savory goodies to have the infusion of flavor, the crispy bite, and be a little thicker than the traditional Latke so that one would be sufficient to stick to my tum-tum. BUT. If you’re into the thin Latkes, this recipe will hold even with the thin pancake approach.
The three recipes below incorporate a few classic holiday flavors. My favorite of the three is the Green Bean Casserole version, but my husband decimated the Apple Spice ones. The Stuffing Latkes were incredible too, and I loved that they were super easy to make. The key ingredient in all three, however, is Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki Sauce. You’ll notice it brings out the flavor of the other ingredients, and you’ll be able to pick up on the teriyaki flavor especially in the Apple Spice Latkes.
“Green Bean Casserole” Potato Latkes
Serves: 6
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup small diced mushroom (cremini, button or shitake)
1 cup French cut green beans, cooked and drained
3 tablespoons Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki Sauce
3 or 4 large baking potatoes
1/2 to 3/4 cup finely grated onion
3 large eggs, beaten
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons matzo meal or flour, plus more as needed
Instructions
In a saute pan, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned. Stir in green beans and cook until heated through. At this point, if there is excess liquid, drain off thoroughly. Stir in the teriyaki sauce and cook until heated through. Set aside to cool completely.
While the mushroom green bean mixture is cooling, grate the potatoes into a large mixing bowl. You should have about 4 cups. Cover them with water and let soak for a few minutes to remove the starch. Rinse the potatoes and drain well, squeezing them with your hands to remove excess moisture. Combine the grated potatoes in a mixing bowl with the mushroom mixture, onion, beaten eggs, salt, pepper, baking powder and 3-4 tablespoons matzo meal or flour. Stir well. Add more matzo meal if too much liquid accumulates in the bottom of the bowl. The drier this starts out the better.
Pour the oil into a large frying pan to a depth of 1/8 to 1/2 inch, and heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, drop the potato batter by the large spoonful into the hot oil, pressing down on them lightly with the back of the spoon to form thin pancakes about 2 1/2 inches in diameter, keeping the latkes about an inch apart. Fry the latkes until they are golden on one side, then turn and cook them until golden on the other. Remove them to a paper towel-lined platter to drain, blotting off excess oil as they cool. Serve warm with extra teriyaki sauce on the side.
Notes
These would be delicious served with sour cream, or even a side of ranch dressing!
Apple Spice Sweet Potato Latkes
Serves: 6
Ingredients
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled
2 small apples, peeled (tart, like granny smith or pink is preferred)
¼ cup finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons flour, plus more as needed
Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki Sauce
Canola oil for frying
Instructions
Using the large holes a box grater, shred sweet potatoes and apples into a bowl. If there is excess moisture from the apples, squeeze out with a paper towel. Stir in all remaining ingredients except oil until blended. If it seems like there is too much liquid, add more flour as needed.
Pour the oil into a large frying pan to a depth of 1/8 to 1/2 inch, and heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, drop the potato batter by the large spoonful into the hot oil, pressing down on them lightly with the back of the spoon to form thin pancakes about 2 1/2 inches in diameter, keeping the latkes about an inch apart. Fry the latkes until they are golden on one side, then turn and cook them until golden on the other. Remove them to a paper towel-lined platter to drain, blotting off excess oil as they cool. Serve hot.
Notes
This is the perfect recipe for “double-dipping”. That is, use Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki as an ingredient, AND as a dipping sauce. Yum!
“Stuffing” Latkes
Serves: 8
Ingredients
1 tablespoon canola oil, plus more for frying
1 pound potatoes, peeled and shredded
½ cup shredded onion
½ cup shredded carrot
1 cup chicken broth, plus more as needed
¼ cup Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 6-ounce package savory stuffing mix
Instructions
In a large saute pan, warm the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add potatoes, onion and carrot and cook for about 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened. Remove from pan and cool completely.
In a large bowl, combine the vegetables, broth, sauce, eggs and stuffing mix. Mix until well-blended. Form mixture into patties about 2 inches in diameter and ½-inch thick.
Pour the oil into a large frying pan to a depth of 1/8 to 1/2 inch, and heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, place patties into the oil, keeping about an inch apart. Fry the latkes until they are golden on one side, then turn and cook them until golden on the other. Remove them to a paper towel-lined platter to drain, blotting off excess oil as they cool. Serve hot.
Notes
Try different flavors of store bought stuffing to easily modify the flavor of these Latkes. Delicious!
These sound delicious. Love the creativity in the modifications. And your story about your Jewish friend perfectly illustrates why having diverse friends is so important – you learn so many new things! Now, which one to make first…
Given everything that is going on in the world today, it is more important than ever to reach across the aisle and unite. I hope you enjoyed the recipes!