Potato Latkes

Tonight is the second night of Hanukkah, my favorite excuse to eat all things fried in honor of the Maccabees and their single pot of sacred lamp oil that miraculously burned for eight days.

Latkes, the Yiddish word for potato pancakes, are the most traditional Hanukkah food in the Ashkenazi tradition - the Ashkenazi Jews are descended from those who lived in Germany in Medieval times and later expanded across Central and Eastern Europe - and despite being made of the simplest ingredients, are one of the hardest dishes to make well.

Latkes are generally made of grated potatoes, onions, eggs, matzo meal or flour, and salt and pepper. The biggest challenge is that both potatoes and onions have a high water content that must be extracted before frying, or your pancakes won't brown properly. The shredded potatoes and onions are often squeezed to remove as much water as possible, and then matzo meal or flour is added to absorb the rest. Adding this flour often leads to leaden hockey pucks, so baking powder is sometimes added to lighten everything up, but most latkes are still pretty heavy.

Then there's the issue of potatoes' high starch content - some recipes call for soaking the shredded potatoes for up to a day to remove their starch, which allows for maximum crispiness. But this requires a lot of preparation and time. Finally, there's the problem of frying - you might have a perfectly brown pancake on the outside, and raw, crunchy potato on the inside.

My version is a lot quicker and easier, and draws on inspiration from three very separate places: Really good steak fries (crispy outsides, fluffy insides), the modern miracle of steaming potatoes in the microwave, and Chinese scallion pancakes.

I use the microwave to par-cook the potatoes - you can also steam them in the traditional way - which means they take less time in the frying pan. Steaming or microwaving also helps to release a lot of the moisture, so you don't have to worry about squeezing them later. Then I cool them off in the fridge before shredding them, which dries them out further and makes the starch stickier, allowing the pancakes to hold themselves together without a lot of added binding ingredients.

I used scallions, rather than regular onions, because they impart a pleasant onion flavor and a pretty green color without excess moisture. I opted to omit the matzo meal here, for the sake of lighter texture and the gluten-free factor, but they will be more delicate than a typical latke. If you prefer a more traditional, heartier latke, by all means, add two tablespoons of matzo meal to the recipe as a binder.

For about sixteen latkes that are 2 1/2" across, you will need:

• 4 large or 5-6 medium-sized russet potatoes (Russets are better than waxy potatoes because of their lightness. Feel free to use sweet potatoes as well, and you can also mix in shredded beets, carrots, turnips, and other root vegetables. You should par-cook other vegetables in the microwave or steamer in the same manner as the potatoes.)
• 2-3 scallions, white and green parts, well-rinsed and finely chopped
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling on hot, cooked latkes
• Pepper, to taste
• Neutral vegetable oil for frying (I prefer canola or peanut, as I think olive oil is too heavy and starts smoking at a much lower temperature than other oils.)
• Optional: 2 rounded tablespoons matzo meal (really preferable to flour for its lightness)

Directions:

Scrub your potatoes very well with a vegetable brush under cool running water. (This removes the tougher, dirtier top layer of skin and will save you from having to peel them later.) Poke each of your potatoes a few times with a knife and place them in your microwave. It's ok to cook them all in at once. Microwave on high for about 8 minutes. (If you are microwaving less potatoes at a time, you will need to lower your cooking time.)You should hear sizzling and hissing in the last few minutes of cooking as steam escapes, but they should still feel very firm when you remove them from the microwave. Place in the fridge for about an hour to cool.

When the potatoes are cool, use the large side of a box grater to grate the potatoes onto a cutting board or plate. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the salt, pepper, and scallions. Add the grated potatoes and stir to combine. If you are using matzo meal, stir it in last.

Pour 1/4 inch of oil into a large skillet, fry pan, or saute pan - non stick is great, and cast iron is even better. Heat on high until the oil starts to shimmer. Using your hands, form 1 1/2 inch balls of potato mixture. Flatten them between your palms, then gently lay them, one by one, into the hot oil. Make sure to leave plenty of space around each latke for proper browning. (My 12" cast iron skillet fit about 4 pancakes per batch.) Reduce heat to medium. You will have to keep adjusting the temperature as you add and remove the latkes from the pan. Refill the oil in between batches, and let it heat up before you add new pancakes.

Fry the latkes until they are dark brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with kosher salt, and serve piping hot with good apple sauce and sour cream.