I am a gigantic fan of potato latkes. I often revert to potatoes when asked what my favorite food is. French fries, hash browns, home fries. Mashed potatoes, tater tots. I’ve never gone wrong with any of them – except maybe mashed potatoes at a conference buffet. I didn’t discover latkes until I was in my teens. Probably while watching a holiday segment on Food Network. But I quickly became enamored by the idea of them. Chip-sized nests of golden, crisp strands. My first crispy latke recipe was pretty much freestyle, and I stuck with it for a long time. 

When I really struggled with my weight as a kid, I would stay home from school and dance around in my boxers. Watch reality TV. My favorite thing to do was run to the kitchen after my parents left and grate potatoes. Squeeze the water out, mix up latkes. Patiently scoop them into hot oil (that I should not have been handling). I would use a slotted spatula to fling them onto a paper towel-lined plate, and I’d sprinkle them with salt. Once or twice I tried them with sour cream, applesauce, ketchup, but I prefer them plain. When I finished frying them, I turned off the oil and leave my mess behind. I’d carry my personal plate of crispy latkes into my bedroom. And I would curl up under a blanket and eat until I felt sick. It was heavenly. 

My Non-Traditional Crispy Latke Recipe

Since then, I’ve grown out of my gluttony, but I still make latkes around the holidays. I’ve tweaked the recipe a little over the years – a mixture of potato, egg, bagged, shredded cheddar cheese, panko breadcrumbs, salt, lemon, and herbs. The best way is to keep it simple, and let the hot oil do the work. I’ve experimented with different kinds of inauthentic cheese, but the nostalgia of the thin white cheddar shreds that melt and caramelize into the crisp potatoes remains my favorite. 

This crispy latke recipe is a perfect example of a recipe that forms your entire association with a dish. Like your hometown Chinese takeout, or dollar pizza. Nothing ever really tastes the same, no matter where you go, and a part of you will always prefer the original, even if it’s not authentic, or the highest quality. So, I recommend going out and trying all the crispy latke recipes in the world, especially those made by experts.

But if you’re looking for something new to try as a foray into crispy potatoes, give these a try. I’ve tried many crispy latke recipes and really like the thick pucks you can find at some Jewish delis, but I’ve never really been able to board the applesauce or sour cream train. I think it’s the tradition, and the people we try things with, that form our love for certain flavors and textures. But if you’re ever having a rough time and need a whole plate of latkes, feel free to dance around in your underwear and eat a whole plate-full in bed. Everything in moderation! It would probably be smarter to put on some pants when you cook with hot oil, though. 

Check out my potato latke recipe cards and prints on Etsy!

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Crispy Potato Latkes

My favorite one-bowl potato latke recipe

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Jewish

Keyword breakfast, breakfast recipes, potato recipes

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author theforkedring

Ingredients

• 3 large russet potatoes
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
• 1/2 tbsp sea salt

Instructions

• Peel potatoes and grate into a cheesecloth-lined bowl with a box grater.
• Generously salt potatoes and let sit for 10-15 minutes.
• Squeeze out excess liquid and discard. Transfer potatoes to mixing bowl.
• To the potatoes, add egg, panko, spices, and cheese and stir to combine.
• Heat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
• Scoop several balls of potatoes with a melon baller and flatten in the pan with a spatula.
• Cook for 4-6 minutes on each side until golden brown.
• Once cooked, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with salt.
• Top with sour cream and chives or applesauce.

Notes

• You need to squeeze out the moisture of the potatoes at the very beginning in order to ensure the latkes are crisp. The best thing to use is a cheesecloth, but I think I went 25 years before I ever used one. You can use a clean dish towel or a few layers of paper towels – just be careful that the paper towels you use may totally break apart and need to be picked out of your potatoes. You can also press down paper towels on top of the potatoes to get the last bit of moisture out. 

• I use a melon baller to scoop even portions of potato into the oil, and you should use a spatula to immediately flatten out the mounds to get them thin and crispy. 

• Don’t overcrowd your pan! This applies to anything when you’re frying, but make sure to leave some breathing room between latkes so that the oil stays hot. Remember, the more things you cook at one in the oil, the more the temperature will be evenly dispersed amongst them, and the lower the temperature will be. If your oil seems too hot, therefore, you can add another latke or two to cool it down. Or just turn the heat down.

• If you save some latkes for later, store them with a paper towel to catch any remaining moisture in your container. And wait until they’re completely cool to put them away. 

• When you heat up leftovers, you can heat a small amount of oil in a pan and crisp them for 1-2 minutes on both sides. Or, you can heat them on a lightly greased oven safe tray on 350 for a few minutes.