Arlene’s Potato Latke Family Recipe For Hanukkah

There are two things I love during the holidays. Cooking and Eating!

I teamed up with Stephanie of SDK Photo & Design and veggies from Good Life Organics to share with you one of the best latke recipes I have ever had. It’s easy to make and even easier to gobble up!

Created and enjoyed for 75+ years by my dear friend, Arlene Wolff, now 92 years old, this recipe is the perfect holiday addition to your Hannukah table. She is a mother, grandmother, and now a great grandmother who has been lovingly serving this recipe to her family for Hanukkah for generations.

Even if you don’t celebrate Hanukkah, give this delicious recipe a try to serve as a side dish with roasted chicken and steamed veggies OR make it into the main dish by adding decadent toppings like lox and caviar.

Because they are blended and not shredded, these latkes are light, crispy, and perfect as a side or main dish all year long! Plus, you won’t grate your knuckles off in the process!

When I was attending culinary school, food styling is one of my favorite things to do. Plus, it has come very in handy over the years for my foodie clients as a Wedding Planner in Los Angeles. Food styling is a chance to be creative with your food in a totally new way.

Plus, pretty food always just tastes better, don’t you think?

When it comes to food styling, I like to keep it colorful, clean, and streamlined. Letting the food speak for itself is important. Here I wanted to incorporate some of Arline’s vintage china and flatware to pay homage to her family recipe.

Some behind the scenes of the preparing and frying process.

Arlene’s Potato Latke Recipe

Ingredients:

Makes 12 medium-sized latkes. Make a double/triple batch because they are so tasty that they are going to go fast!

3.5 -4 Cups of peeled and large diced russet potatoes
1/2-3/4 of a brown onion.
2 eggs
1 tablespoon of salt (to taste)
1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
Vegetable Oil

Tools:

An electric skillet (*you can use a metal or cast iron frying pan but you will get a more even heat with an electric skillet)
Sheet Pans for cooling
(2) flexible spatulas for flipping
(1) Large (fine) mesh Strainer
(1) Silicone Spatula
A blender
A potato peeler
Paper Towels for oil absorption
Latke Server (as seen in the photo above)
Large Platter

Prep Instructions:

Peel Potatoes
Cut potatoes into large 1-2 inch cubes.
Half the onions (then chop halves into smaller pieces to make it easier to blend)
In a blender, combine 3.5-4 cups of cubed potatoes, 1/2-3/4 of a brown onion chopped, dry ingredient, and eggs and blend until smooth.
Take the blended mixture and strain out all liquid with the fine mesh strainer and a silicone spatula. You want to mixture to be as dry as it can be with no excess liquid.

Frying Instructions:

Heat vegetable oil in an electric skillet or frying pan to 325-350 degrees. If you see smoke, it’s too hot! You want to brown them slowly to ensure they are fully cooked from the inside out. It is easiest to get exact with the degrees when using an electric skillet, which is why it’s highly recommended.
Using a tablespoon, spoon large dollops of the mixer into the pan. Do not crowd the pan as they will not cook evenly. Max of 6. You want the laktes to be the size of your palm. Bigger and they won’t crispy up and smaller and they might burn. Using a tablespoon will keep the sizing consistent, which is the key!
Fry until golden brown on both sides flipping only once using two rubber spatulas to prevent breakage. Should take a couple of minutes on both sides.
Remove latkes from the frying oil and dry on a paper towel-line baking sheet to absorb the extra oil. As you continue to fly, layer more paper towels on the drying latkes to make a new layer you can stack on.
Serve hot and garnished or freeze in an airtight container or ziplock in a single layer with wax paper in between to prevent sticking.

Garnish Options (or a combo of):

Applesauce
Sour Cream
Fresh Dill
Fresh Chives/Scallions
Salmon Lox
A sprinkle of sugar for a sweet latke (Arlene’s favorite)
A sprinkle of black pepper for a savory latke
Caviar
Hot Sauce
Lemon Juice

Here is Arlene’s handwritten recipe card. A very special family tradition to be able to share and beautifully captured by SDK Photo & Design with veggies from Good Life Organics. Styled by Anything But Gray Events.