Tonight was the Top Latke competition, 2009, at Congregation Shaarey Tphiloh in Portland, Maine. As the defending champion, I had to struggle against 8 other competitors to retain my title. I presented three varieties: "White Heat" (traditional white potato latke with white potato, white onion, garlic, black pepper, salt, egg, white flour, matzoh meal and chipotle pepper), "GF Magic" (Gluten and Nightshade free {white potatoes are apparently in the nightshade family} sweet potato, zucchini, white and red onion, garlic, egg, salt and a tiny bit of black pepper), and "Kitchen Sink" (sweet and white potatoes, white and red onions, chipotle and black pepper, salt, egg, white flour, matzoh meal, garlic and white horseradish).After our judges (Meredith Otten, Maine State Senator Justin Alfond, and Maine Supreme Court Justice Jon D. Levy) sampled all of the varieties, and Honorary chairman Ira Rosenberg presented the Prime Top Latke trophy... to Kitchen Sink!
Many asked for the recipe, so here it is to the best of my knowledge.
Kitchen Sink Potato Latke
Makes a ton of latkes, enough for many people.
5 lb white potatoes
4 lb sweet potatoes
3 medium white onions
5 medium red onions
9 eggs
3/4 cup white flour
3/4 cup matzoh meal
~2 tbsp kosher salt
~2 tbsp ground chipotle pepper
3 jars prepared horseradish
1 entire clove garlic (about 12 segments)
Preheat oil to 400-450 degrees Fahrenheit. This can be in a deep pan, a shallow pan, or a large skillet, depending on your tradition. I cooked some in each type of pan for variety.
Wash (don't peel) the white and sweet potatoes.
Shred the white potatoes and place in a colander to drain into a large bowl. Use the fine shredding side of a box shredder or fine shredding blade on a food processor. Squeeze the water out of the potatoes into the large bowl, and let the water stand. Put the shredded potatoes into another large bowl. We want the starch, so after a few minutes, pour off the water and scrape the starch into the bowl with the potatoes.
Shred the sweet potatoes and add the shreds to the other potatoes.
Add all of the other ingredients to the potato shreds.
Fold the mixture together until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed. I prefer to do this by hand.
Use Fork to scoop out mixture into oil and cook one side until brown. Turn over and finish cooking.
Remove from oil and set on paper bag and paper towel to drain oil. Adjust spices to taste, refold and then cook the rest of the latkes. Serve warm with apple sauce and sour cream. MMMmmmmmmm..........
Hi James,
I found this blog while researching maple syrup. I have family in Vermont, and as a child I looked forward to receiving the annual can of "the good stuff" for Christmas.
Anyway, I had a question about this tempting potato dish. I'm not Jewish and have never used matzoh meal before, so I don't quite know what it is or how it works in food.
Also, we have to cook gluten free in my home because of my husband's celiac disease. If I were to try this recipe at home, what would be a reasonable substitute for the matzoh meal?
Thanks! Wish I didn't have to ship my syrup halfway across the country, but the real stuff from New England really is the best :)
Erika K
best food processor
Well, Erika, I would imagine that since you're not worried about the Passover commandment of unleavened bread, you could use any flour substitute. I'm not a gluten expert; would rice flour work? I've heard of folks using no Matzoh and increasing the eggs as a binder. No matter how you make it, it's the potatoes and the oil that are the key ingredients. Get as much water out of them as you can, let the water sit for a while, and pour it off of the starch, which will settle to the bottom of the bowl. Put the starch back in the potato mixture as a binder as well.
While I make shredded potato latkes, others make mashed potato latkes. In that case, they would boil the potatoes in advance, and then mash the ingredients into the potatoes. The last step is to fry the potato mixture in oil. That method tends to bind the patty together very well, but you won't have as crunchy a result.
No matter how you make it, this is a treat that can be made gluten free with little effort, and everyone will enjoy!