hot latke in a paper towel

Latke Fest: Oh what, oh what can you put in a latke, Serrano chilies anyone?

I'm not sure how it all got started.

There we were milling around a packed kitchen with hot oil bubbling and Team Latke flipping and frying.

sweet potato latkes in the making

Then a quiet voice from the edge of the kitchen piped up. How about throwing in some of the leftover whitefish? A pause. Allison Moorer's voice melting out of the IPod was the only sound left. Hummmmm.

Suddenly, I was back in the hospital with my newborn son in the NICU unable to do anything but cry. Hour after hour, tears and more tears. The nurses quietly moved my roommate out and left me alone. At some point, I was able to poke my head out of my hormones long enough to realize that my brother was there and that he and his girlfriend had just gone down to the court house and gotten married. (The formal ceremony would be a year later. I would plan it and there are some pretty crazy stories there, too -- 12 women, a sheep, and the weave that wasn't -- but that is for another time.) At this moment, it was their first wedding, the legal binding of a bone-deep love. Kine, my new sister-in-law, brought Senegalese fish fritters to the hospital, so I could share in the celebration. The sight of my brother and his bride and the delicate crunch of fish and spices brought me a few moments of pleasure and peace that week.

So fish latkes, eh? Why not?

whitefish bones

From there things just got giddy.

I had Serrano chilies in the fridge. We pulled them out, and I imagined their flavor-enhancing heat coursing through the potatoes.

latke batter with Serrano chilis

Then came the guy in the corner again. (He is usually the quiet type, but I don't know what go into him this night.) What about anchovies? We dug around in the bottom of the fridge for a jar. There it was. We pulled them out.

Turns out just about anything tastes really good fried in a latke. And this recipe, in particular, works really well as a base.

So in addition to the standard Latke Fest fare of regular and sweet potato latkes, we sampled whitefish latkes, latkes with Serrano chilies and anchovy latkes.

The Serrano chilies were the crowd favorite with the whitefish latkes running a close second. The anchovies are going to take some finessing. I didn't break them up small enough so they didn't really penetrate the latke experience except the occasional slam of saltiness. In the future it might help to add some of the oil and mince them. Definitely worth trying again, though.

Some other ideas? Shiso leaves are what I am thinking at the moment.

For all those purists out there, try the standard latke recipe below. It is the last one you will ever need.

white fish latkes frying

Alyson Mandel’s Crazy Good Latkes

Ingredients
Two pounds potatoes (preferably Yukon Gold), peeled
1 Medium Onion
½ Cup Scallions
1 large egg
Canola oil for frying
(a little fresh parsley is optional)

Instructions

Grate Potatoes, onion and scallions in a food processor. Alternate potato, then onion piece, then scallion, etc… so they are all blended together.

Put into a colander and put colander in a large mixing bowl. Press the mixture so the juice comes out. Let stand a bit, 15 minutes or so, press again.

Take the liquid in the bottom of the bowl and pour the water off the top, there will be thick white stuff on the bottom, keep that. That is potato starch. Add the potato mixture back to the bowl and mix it with the potato starch.

Beat the egg and then add it to mixture and stir well. Add salt and pepper to taste. You need more than you think.

Heat between ¼ and ½ inch or oil in a deep frying pan. Make sure the oil is very hot and things sizzle in it.

Get a large tablespoon and scoop a spoon full of the mixture into the oil. Press it down gently to flatten it a bit. Let it fry for a minute, then slip a spatula under it to make sure it isn’t sticking. Fry till golden, then flip. Fry till other side is golden then take out and put on plate with paper towel. Don’t make them too big or the middle won’t cook by the time the outside is crispy.

Salt more if necessary, serve with sour cream and or applesauce.

posted December 10, 2007 | link | comments (4)

filed under: Recipes, anchovy, hanukkah, Latke Fest, Latke recipes, Serrano chili, sweet potato latke, white fish

AllOverAlbany.com

Comments

Celina --
I was lighting Chanukah candles and then in the basement overseeing my children (and a couple others) during the great latke fish-fry (and I didn't even get to eat any of the whitefish or anchovy ones...) so I don't know if you told your story of birth and wedding last night or not. But so much goes on in that head and heart of yours, quietly, while we're all around and noisy and eating and joking and talking theology and making suggestions and frying ... Very moving to have this sudden window into your heart.

What an amazing latke picture you began with, the latke looking like it's pillowed in a lacy white-sheeted bed of its own. Not lace exactly but dotted swiss, perhaps.

I am tickled that you prefer Yukon Gold potatos. That's what I asked my partner to plant last summer -- and she did -- and she told me that they're not so good for making latkes. Perhaps we'll try them now, for those were indeed very good latkes! I think that perhaps keeping the potato starch gives them their distinctive texture. They were different from what I'd call "classic" grated latkes.

But then, I wouldn't want serrano chiles in classic latkes. But they were just the thing in these!

- by Reb Deb on Dec 11, 2007 at 12:05 AM | link

Hi Celina, Sorry I missed you at the office the other day. I'm out more than I am in these days. I love your web site. I can't look often because I don't have the web at home and I don't have time to surf at work (like I am doing now). After reading about your love of artichokes I bought one. I never did get to cook it but I will one day ( a different one that is). I recently picked up a cookbook for vegetables that I really like and am getting more adventuresome. I am a self described carnivore but it's time to change my evil ways. Keep up the great writing. You are inspiring as always. Liza

- by Liza Rodriguez on Dec 11, 2007 at 9:55 AM | link

I agree with the comment that the love of food you show in your blog is really inspiring! I've never had a latke, and I didn't think I was missing anything until I read about yours!

- by Amanda on Dec 12, 2007 at 2:00 PM | link

Celina

Thank you for inviting my family to your fabulous and yummy latke fest. We had such a wonderful time. My favorite was the sweet potato latkes. (I'll leave the strong spicy and fishy stuff to my husband - I admit I didn't try the experiments.)

Anything sweet potato and fried I crave, after going to college in Buffalo and eating heaps of sweet potato fries.

When we left I imagined there must have been tiny bits of fried potato in every room of your house with all the kids running around and eating.

Loretta

- by Loretta Fontaine on Dec 13, 2007 at 8:55 AM | link

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