by Sagegreen
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by Sagegreen
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by Sagegreen
A&M's Testing Notes:
Expand CollapseSagegreen's Notes:
Expand1 sweet potato, pared (about 1 cup) Ask a question about this ingredient
1 parsnip, pared (about 1/2 cup) Ask a question about this ingredient
1 yellow onion (@1/2 cup) Ask a question about this ingredient
2-3 russet potatoes (or yukon gold) (@2 cups) Ask a question about this ingredient
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and grated (@1 oz) Ask a question about this ingredient
1 teaspoon kosher salt Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 teaspoon fresh milled ground fennel seed Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 teaspoon fresh milled black pepper Ask a question about this ingredient
2 eggs, beaten Ask a question about this ingredient
3 ounces flour Ask a question about this ingredient
peanut or other high smoke point oil Ask a question about this ingredient
homemade applesauce for serving Ask a question about this ingredient
sour cream, fage, or creme fraiche for serving Ask a question about this ingredient
Hand grate the sweet potato, onion, and parsnip using the large holes into a large bowl first. I think hand grating is the only way to go for these.
Ask a question about this stepWash and scrub the russet potatoes very well, leaving the skins on. Remove any imperfections. Grate these last into the bowl with the other vegetables. Add the salt, pepper, fennel, and ginger. Let rest a few minutes.
Ask a question about this stepUsing a colander (or cheesecloth if you prefer) wring all the excess moisture from the mix. Repeat, then return to the bowl. You can also squeeze handfuls of the mix in your hands to help.
Ask a question about this stepMix in the beaten eggs and flour.
Ask a question about this stepGenerously coat the bottom of a heavy pan with peanut oil (or other suitable oil). The oil need not be deeper than 1/8 inch, if even that. If you prefer thicker latkes, then you might have up to1/4 inch oil. Heat to medium high until a drop of liquid would sizzle in the pan.
Ask a question about this stepWorking in small batches ladle the mix to the heated pan to form 5-7 latkes with about a 3 inch diameter and about a 1/4 inch thickness after pressing down gently on the mix with a spatula. Fry each one on one side until golden brown, then flip and cook the other side until golden. Try to keep the depth of oil as low as possible, but make sure the vegetables cook through- soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside. Drain on paper towels. You should have 15-20 latkes from this recipe.
Ask a question about this stepServe warm with generous dollops of sour cream and preferably homemade heirloom applesauce.
Ask a question about this stepOpps. I wanted to add Hanukkah as a category for this recipe, but guess it needs to be done by the editors now.
Since it's a winning recipe you can't edit it, even to add tags. I'm sure if you e-mail the editors they would gladly add Hanukkah as a tag!
mboerner, you need to try these, because they're really delicious! I've made them a few times and they never disappoint.
Scroll down to see Sagegreen make this recipe on a cooking show filmed in her local area.
Thanks, folks! You know if you didn't want the ginger, you could simply leave that out, or use less, as Bevi suggests. But I happen to like results of the blend of vegetables and spices in this recipe and am really happy others have too! Of course, an authentic basic latke recipe is a classic to savor.
I also made these. They ARE really delicious. You can also decrease the amount of ginger you use.
I made these with the sweet and spicy horseradish sauce, http://www.food52.com/recipes/3544_sweet_and_spicy_horseradish_dressing, and they were a smash hit! Soo good Sagegreen!
And Thanks food52 for a great food site!
Thanks so much flavorfarm. What a great combination you made with the horseradish recipe. I will have to try that out, too.
Cool video!!!! Reminded me I need to make these again. So nice to see you!
Here is a link to a video from a local TV show where we created these live on January 19, 2011 with Channel 22 Mass Appeal under their taste appeal segment:
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oops, here is the link:
http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/mass_appeal/taste/spiced-latkes
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Congratulations...Hopefully you received the e-mail I sent you also...food 52 is so much fun is'nt it...Have a happy holiday. Best, Micki
Yes, thanks, Micki. It has been fun to get know you better through this site, too. I remember first falling in love with your snowflake plum soup that is so beautiful. Have enjoyed our email as well. Happy Holidays!
YaY!! Sage:)
Thanks, adamsvetcooking! Good luck to you with the end of the term, too. Busy time!
Congrats on the win, Sagegreen. I love this recipe. I think next year I will use your ingredients with my food processor method for my latkes. In fact, I might not wait for next Hanukkah to give them a try.
Thanks, ChefJune. I have never tried using a food processor for latkes. Please let me know how it works out if you do. Actually, I do not even have a food processor, only a blender!
hahah! and I don't have a blender! The food processor grater makes the shreds long and lacy. A blender would liquefy them.
Congrats Sagegreen! I am so happy for you!
Thanks, ashley_samuel_pierson. Cooking is a such stress reliever for me, too!
Wow! I am so incredibly honored with this award. And the fact that this is the last night of Hanukkah, with all 8 candles, makes this a blessing! As my very dear Jewish friends are pointing out, this isn't bad for someone who isn't even Jewish! I have just finished teaching my last class of the term tonight. What a wonderful finish. I am so grateful to everyone for all your good wishes.
Congratulations, Sagegreen, how sweet it is, and thanks for sharing so many of your great recipe ideas!
Thanks, lapadia....pretty soon it will be time to come back to earth.
Congrats sagegreen!!! I'm sooo happy for you! You're such a wonderfully creative addition to this site and I love seeing and trying all that you come up with!! Love this one!
Congratulations, I knew you had a winner the first time I saw this recipe. I will put it on my list of things to make that is growing longer and longer by the week. I just love this site!
Congrats! I had a feeling you were going to win this one!
Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah!
Congratulations on winning this contest and thank you for all your tasty recipes.
Thanks, dymnyno. This is the hour in the sun, even though it is getting late....
Fabulous win!
Thanks, cheese1227! You helped me prepare for another possible loss well, though!
Woo-hoo! Congratulations, Sagegreen! I am so happy for you. A well-deserved win!
Thanks, nannydeb! I remember your lovely heirloom tomato win!
Congrats Sagegreen. Fantastic win, fantastic recipes (as most of yours are) and very best wishes!
Congrats. Your efforts paid off. An interesting mixture of ingredients. I am not sure I can add creme fraiche after the south park episode :-0
This was dinner tonight!! I realized I was out of fennel seed halfway through the recipe, so I subbed celery seed instead - delicious! I used my OXO potato ricer to squeeze the liquid out of the grated potatoes - works very well! Thanks, Sagegreen, for a fantastic recipe.
I love using my potato ricer, it works great for recipes using grated zucchini too!
Thanks so much, mrslarkin. It is always an honor when someone makes a recipe of mine! I am so glad you liked it! I will be making your sage scones later this month.
I have never made latkes before... until today. They were a lot of work to prepare (although having watched A&M's great video I knew what I was letting myself in for! I also rarely fry anything, being a bit of a health nut, but I had all the ingredients and gave them a go. They were great - I finally got the trick of how much mixture to use to get the right size latke, and how long to cook them for, by the final batch!
All that said, they came out great. I served them for brunch with a poached egg. I think next time I might up the salt - I use French sea salt and only used around half a teaspoon, so maybe that was my fault. They also, despite the wonderful seasoning, tasted a tiny bit bland to my taste - I couldn't detect the fennel OR the ginger, but no doubt they enhanced the flavour. I happened to have made the awesome sriracha from a previous contest, on Friday, and so we added that to make them a bit zingier!
Anyway, thanks for the recipe, for you inspired me to try something new, and to think how I might make my own additions next time, and I feel that that is what this site is all about - branching out, learning, being creative.
Congrats!
Thank you so much, josefa!. It is always a great honor when someone makes your recipe. I did cut down on the amount of my spices for this recipe, because I find other folks find them too much. If you do make these again, you can play with using less oil, more ginger, more pepper, and more fennel. I would suggest you double all. When another recipe of mine was tested the amount of my suggested pepper had been reported as too zealous! I think I will add more cautionary notes about the spice amounts suggesting "to taste." This site has really inspired me to try new ideas.
Congrats Sagegreen. It sounds like a great recipe with a tasty flavour profile
Thank you, Kitchen Butterfly. Your recipes are always so inspiring, you can almost taste them on the screen.
Thanks, everyone, for all your encouragement! Thanks to A & M for selecting my recipe this week for the finals. It is a great honor. Very stiff competition against the golden panko latke, which even sounds so wonderful to say. The community at Food52 is incredibly supportive. And the themes really inspire me to think up new ideas each week. I really love being a part of the community!
Hear, hear! :)
greatGgreat!!!
I am so thrilled you are a finalist! I had a feeling about these...can't wait to try them. Congratulations, Sagegreen!
Thanks, gingerroot! It really is thrilling, (especially during this otherwise trying week....since I had a flat tire yesterday, a tree come down earlier, and lost my favorite glasses amidst all the branches).
Congratulations! Sound great!
Thank you, wanderash. I love your blog! The photos are so engaging.
Sounds really divine with the addition of sweet potatoes, parsnips and ginger. I look forward to making this recipe. Congrats on being a finalist!
Thanks, cookinginvictoria. Let me know if you make them what you think.
I love how you pulled in sweet potatoes and parsnips. I've got everything in my kitchen to make these except the white potatoes - so I'll stop and pick up some this afternoon! Can't wait to make them. And CONGRATULATIONS for being a finalist!!!
Thanks, ChezSuzanne. Russets or Yukon golds work best for the white potato. Let me know how you like them!
With regard to the amount of flour, it is pretty amazing that you can easily use 3 oz with the 2 eggs. You can also cut it down to 1 or 2 oz. or even increase it to 4 and the recipe works well. I tend to use more when I have not as vigorously squeezed out as much liquid from the mix as I could have.
And I would like to note that the idea for combining fennel with pepper I attribute to thirschfeld. Ever since I tested his fennel and pepper crusted swordfish this summer, I have been experimenting with that great combination in new ways.
Thank you, Barbara! It adds a spark to the week, that's for sure!
Congrats! These look remarkable. Also, as a nutritionist I can assuage your fears about goose fat, it's actually not terribly bad for you at all! Better than corn or soybean oil, for sure! :)
Yeah, so pleased to see you in the finalist slot with this lovely recipe, which, I think I am going to make for dinner!
"Yum-O" was the response from my Hannukkah celebrating taster!
Thanks so much! I am so glad you liked them. I do wish I had come up with a jazzier name for these, celebrating all the root vegetables.
Thanks, nannydeb! It is exciting to be a finalist again. And if this recipe is not the winner, then I get to join pierino's exclusive club!
What's the club?
Pierino's pet peeve on his cook profile is that he has been nominated twice as a finalist, but has not become one! Not a bad club at all to join.
Ahh, I see. I guess I am unkowingly in that club. It took me four tries.
It took me 3. Hang in there!
Congratulations sagegreen!! These look so good. I can't wait to try!
Congrats! These look really delicious, I love your flavor combination.
Really interesting combination of flavors. And beautiful colors. Great recipe!
These look fabulous!
These look and sound really delicious. Love the ginger addition. Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving, Sagegreen!
Thanks, dymnyo. I wish I could have invited you over for some. Happy Thanksgiving!
I wish that fork was coming toward my mouth right now!
I made a bet with myself that you would post among the first dozen and I won! Your recipe looks wonderful...
Thanks, Lizthechef! I was hoping to fit in a recipe before leaving for NYC. I am bringing marzipan fruits to my opening there tomorrow! Happy Thanksgiving to you.
And a Happy Thanksgiving to you, my Hungarian sister.
Michael is a food critic and established cookbook author -- Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking is the most recent addition to his vast body of work.
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A tableau of ingredients: sweet potato, russet potato, parsnip, ginger, flour, onion, egg and fennel seed.
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When making latkes, the key is to get everything measured and ready before you grate.
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This may look like a lot of flour, but it's just right.
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The parsnip and sweet potato get peeled, but the Russets just get a good scrub.
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Use the coarse side of a box grater, or your food processor's grating attachment.
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Merrill found that parsnips are a bit tougher to grate than potatoes.
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When you grate the onion, make sure to keep your face away from the bowl -- you don't want any stray onion juice in your eye!
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The russets go last, as they are quickest to brown.
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Amanda takes over for a bit.
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In go the fennel, salt, black pepper and fresh ginger (also grated, but on a microplane).
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After a few minutes, the vegetables release a lot of their liquid, and it's time to squeeze! Four hands are better than two for this job.
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First egg, and then flour are folded into the potato mixture.
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Sagegreen calls for peanut oil or another oil with a high smoking point; we used canola.
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A few minutes on each side, and the pancakes should be golden brown.
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I made these last night for Hanukkah and they were a big hit! Thank you.