Potato and Apple Latkes | cooking ala mel

Alex has been wanting me to make latkes (or potato pancakes) for a very long time. I told him over and over again that I couldn’t do it until we got a cheesecloth, since you really need to drain the potatoes well to get a good crisp to the latkes. We finally got one about two weeks ago, and I still didn’t make him any; he wasn’t very happy. He had a physics test this morning, so I promised him latkes upon his return. I followed the recipe from smitten kitchen for these latkes (which I’ve adapted slightly below). I’ve been ogling her recipe for apple latkes for a while, so I decided to make half a batch of those for myself to try.

We’ve been sort of kicked out of the kitchen for actually eating the past few days; two girls have been camping out with their computers and books (don’t ask me why…), so it’s been a little more stressful to move our things back to the room to eat. I haven’t been bothering to take really great pictures. Alex’s mom stopped by to take Alex to the bank, and she tested out the apple latkes with me; they were delicious! I really love the flavor of these. They don’t need much extra by way of flavoring, but I’m sure the potato latkes would be great with sour cream, and the apple latkes would be great with some caramel or yogurt!

Potato Latkes
yields a dozen small latkes

1 large potato (1 pound)
1/2 cup onion (4 oz.)

¼ cup flour

1 egg, beaten

1 t salt

¼ t pepper

olive oil

Shred potato and onion with food processor or grater. With cheesecloth (or colander), squeeze out excess liquid. Allow to sit for two minutes and then squeeze again.

Mix together the flour, egg, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Stir in the potato mixture until evenly coated.

In large skillet, heat two tablespoons oil on medium. Drop the potato mixture by the tablespoon onto the skillet and flatten. Heat for about 1 and ½ minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain them on paper towels. Keep heated in the oven at 200ºF while you’re making the rest!

Apple Latkes

yields a dozen small latkes

2 large Granny Smith apples (1 pound)

1 T lemon juice

1 T brown sugar

1/4 t cinnamon

6 T flour

1 t baking powder

2 eggs

butter (or oil)

Core the apple; shred with food processor or grater. Using a cheesecloth or colander, squeeze out the excess liquid. Place apple shreds in a medium bowl and add lemon juice. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, sugar, cinnamon and baking powder. Whisk in the eggs one at a time until lightly beaten, and then stir the mixture into the apples.

Heat a large skillet on medium with about 1 T butter (or oil). Drop tablespoonfuls of batter onto the skillet and flatten them. Fry for 3-5 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Drain lightly on paper towels. Put them in a 200ºF oven while you’re making the rest!

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