Hanukkah Sweet Potato Latkes


Since when did latkes become so fancy?

When I was a kid my grandmother would fry up grated potatoes w/ onion, egg, salt & pepper.
Served with apple sauce and sour cream. That's a latke. A traditional Hanukkah side dish.
In plain English: potato pancakes.

Now everyone has to be fancy and add in all kinds of special ingredients........

These are the best.
They don't fall apart, and there's nothing fancy going on here, except that I made them with sweet potatoes.

Just follow the simple directions.

I dare you to eat just one.

Ok, so I got even fancier and added in cilantro and served with a harissa yogurt sauce.
I bet my grandmother had never even heard of cilantro or harissa.


Best Sweet Potato Latkes (adapted from LA Times): makes 12

1 1/2 pounds orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (about 2 medium)
1 medium onion
2 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black or white pepper
5 tablespoons flour
about 1/2 cup oil (I used vegetable oil)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional and fancy)

Peel sweet potatoes. Grate sweet potatoes and onion, using grating disc of food processor or large holes of grater.

Transfer to a large bowl. Beat eggs with salt and pepper and add to potato mixture. Add flour and mix well. I used my hands.


Heat 1/4 cup oil in heavy 10- to 12-inch skillet, preferably non-stick.

Fill 1/4-cup measure with sweet potato mixture, pressing down to compact.

Turn out and mound into skillet. Quickly form 3 more mounds. Flatten each with back of spoon so each latke is about 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter, pressing down with a fish spatula.


Cook 3 minutes on the first side, then carefully flip. 2 minutes on the second side.
Cook 4 pancakes at a time, adding more oil after each fry. Makes kind of a mess, but worth it.

Transfer to paper towels to blot.


I reheated mine in the oven, so they were all nice and hot at the same time.

Serve w/ Greek yogurt mixed with some harissa paste.


Swoosh! Happy Hanukkah!

Comments

Katie C. said…
You're right they are not difficult to make but they taste and smell amazing. Saturday I got sucked into buying a box of frozen ones at Trader Joe's by their free samples. OMG, how could I resist that lovely taste. They were serving the samples two ways: applesauce or sour cream. It's breakfast time here and now I want more!
Stacey Snacks said…
Katie C.,
I ate them for breakfast w/ a fried egg of course!
SO GOOD!

:)
Natalia said…
Happy Hanukkah Stacey! Your sweet potato pancakes sound yummy and I can't wait to try them.

Growing up in a Ukrainian household one of my favorite dishes was my grandmother's potato pancakes, now one of the dishes my father makes which we all enjoy. I bet he'll get a kick out of these sweet potato pancakes, especially adding his own extra ingredients.
Anonymous said…
I love potato pancakes so I'm sure I'll love them made with sweet potatoes. They look delicious!!