First off, I love potatoes! I love that there are so many different kinds of potatoes! Growing up I don’t think I realized that there was more than one type of potato (russet). I am sure I saw them in a grocery store shopping with my mom and helped her cook and all, but it wasn’t until I had to make dinner on my own that I fully realized that there are SO many different kinds of potatoes! My favorite is the red potato, there ain’t nothin’ like yummy parmesan roasted red potatoes.
Anyway, this isn’t a blog post about potatoes, maybe I should do one on this wonderful tuber?! Back to the topic of latkes, otherwise known as potato pancakes, they are of a Jewish background and traditionally eaten during Hanukkah and fried in oil, traditionally shmaltz (rendered poultry fat), to celebrate the 8 day oil miracle and the victory over the larger Syrian army.
I love latkes and eat them throughout the year, especially when I have leftover mashed potatoes, hence the title “Leftover Latkes”. I normally make my latkes with leftover mashed potatoes instead of shredding the potatoes like they are traditionally made because I prefer the smooth texture of the latke when they are made this way. There is also the added benefit of not having to season your potatoes because your mashed potatoes should already be seasoned well and less work because you don’t have to shred your potatoes!
This time around I made my latkes in my cast iron pan that had rendered chicken fat in it from the previous meal I had made in it the night before; which happened to be bone in skin on fried chicken with rosemary. In result I also got the added bonus of the flavor from last night’s dinner. I also topped mine with simple homemade garlic aioli.
LEFTOVER LATKES – yields 6
INGREDIENTS
For latke:
1 cup mashed potatoes
1/2 yellow onion shredded
1 tsp. granulated garlic and crushed rosemary
1/2 tsp. salt and pepper
1 egg
1/4 cup flour or cornstarch
1/3 cup shredded parmesan (optional)
2-4 tbs oil of your choice (Crisco, olive oil, or butter is preferred)
For aioli:
1/4 cup good quality mayonnaise ( good quality is important for flavor; I use Sir Kensington avocado oil mayonnaise from Costco and absolutely love it!)
1/2 tsp granulated garlic and minced garlic
1 tsp. dry ranch seasoning
DIRECTIONS
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. TIP: I like to put my stove top on high for 1-2 minutes to quickly heat up my skillet; then I bring it down to the heat I want. Then add oil and wait for it to melt.
- Before mixing all the latke ingredients together in a medium bowl, squeeze and pat the shredded onion dry. Scoop your “batter” into the hot pan; I used a large cookie dough scoop to scoop my “batter” into the hot oil and then pressed in down to flatten them. (See pictures below)
- Fry them for roughly 3-5 minutes on each side so they are dark brown and have a crispy shell. TIP: to keep them warm while you do more batches, preheat the oven to lowest setting and place them in the oven until you are ready to serve.
- For the aioli, all you have to do is mix the ingredients in small bowl and call it good. Feel free to add 1/2 tsp. of crushed rosemary to the aioli as well to sync the flavors altogether or 1/2 tsp sriracha for some spice!
Karah's Kitchen 