WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
Latkes come in all shapes and sizes, but the textural goal is always the same: delicate and light throughout, with a creamy, buttery, soft interior surrounded by a shatteringly crispy outer shell. Unfortunately, many recipes produce latkes that soak up oil like sponges, leaving them greasy and soft. Others are crispy outside but gluey inside or are simply undercooked and tough. To achieve latkes that were light and not greasy, with flavorful, tender interiors and a pleasingly crisp outer shell, we needed to do two things: First, we removed as much water as possible from the potato shreds by wringing them out in a dish towel. Then, we briefly microwaved them. This caused the starches in the potatoes to form a gel that held on to the potatoes’ moisture so it didn’t leach out during cooking. With the water taken care of, the latkes crisped up quickly and absorbed minimal oil. We prefer using the shredding disk of a food processor to shred the potatoes, but you can use the large holes of a box grater if you prefer. Top with applesauce and sour cream and serve with a green salad.
MAKES: 10 latkes
TOTAL TIME: 50 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 pounds russet potatoes, unpeeled, shredded
- ½ cup grated onion
- Salt and pepper
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
- Vegetable oil
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Adjust oven rack to middle position, place rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 200 degrees.
- Toss potatoes, onion, and 1 teaspoon salt together in bowl. Working in 2 batches, wrap potato mixture in clean dish towel and wring tightly to squeeze out as much liquid as possible into measuring cup, reserving drained liquid. Let liquid sit until starch settles to bottom, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Return potato mixture to bowl, cover, and microwave until just warmed through but not hot, 1 to 2 minutes, stirring mixture with fork every 30 seconds. Spread potato mixture evenly over second rimmed baking sheet and let cool for 10 minutes.
- Pour off water from reserved potato liquid, leaving potato starch in measuring cup. Whisk in eggs until smooth. Return cooled potato mixture to bowl. Add parsley, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and potato starch mixture and toss to combine.
- Set wire rack in clean rimmed baking sheet and line with triple layer of paper towels. Add oil to 12-inch skillet until it measures ¼ inch deep and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering. Place ¼-cup mound of potato mixture in oil and press with nonstick spatula into ⅓-inch-thick disk. Repeat until 5 latkes are in skillet.
- Cook, adjusting heat so oil bubbles around latke edges, until golden brown on both sides, about 6 minutes. Let latkes drain briefly on paper towels, then transfer to sheet in oven. Repeat with remaining potato mixture, adding oil between batches as needed to maintain ¼-inch depth.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
