LEEKY LATKES

• 份量: 12 latkes
• 总时间: 45 mins

配料

1 bunch of dill

1 lemon

1 pound russet potatoes

3 medium or 2 large leeks (22 ounces total)

3 garlic cloves

2 tbsp matzo meal or plain fine breadcrumbs

Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper

¾ teaspoon baking powder

¾ tsp turmeric (optional)

¾ cup vegetable oil or schmaltz

1 egg

1 cup sour cream

步骤

1. Make the dilly sour cream:

Finely chop ¼ cup dill and stir it into 1 cup of sour cream.

Season the sour cream with kosher salt and lots and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Like, more black pepper than you feel comfortable adding.

Finely grate the zest of about half the lemon into the sour cream.

2. Make the potato-leek mixture:

Place a clean kitchen towel on your work surface.

Scrub 1 pound of russet potatoes clean. (I don’t bother peeling).

Grate the potatoes right onto the kitchen towel, using the large holes of a box grater.

Fold the edges of the towel up to conceal the potatoes, and squeeze and ring out any moisture over the sink.

Transfer the shredded potatoes to a large bowl.

Trim the hairy ends and dark green parts off 3 medium leeks. You should have 8 ounces of white and light green parts remaining. Reserve the greens for another use.

Cut the white and light green portion of the leeks in half lengthwise and then thinly slice the leeks crosswise, creating fine, thin strands. If the leeks look dirty, transfer them to a bowl, fill it with cold water and swish it around to release the dirt. Drain the water and pat the leeks dry before adding them to the bowl of potatoes.

Finely chop the remaining dill and add it to the potatoes. Yes that’s a lot of dill, it will mellow out as it fries.

Finely grate 3 garlic cloves and the zest of ½ lemon into the mixture.

Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.

Scatter 2 tablespoons of matzo meal or breadcrumbs and ½ teaspoon baking powder over the potato mixture and toss to combine.

Beat 1 large egg and ¾ teaspoon turmeric (if using) in a small bowl, pour the egg over the potato mixture and stir and squeeze very well to incorporate.

3. Fry the latkes:

Preheat the oven to 300°.

Line a large plate with paper towels.

Set a wire rack inside a large rimmed baking sheet and place in the oven.

Heat ½ cup vegetable oil or schmaltz in a large cast iron skillet until very hot (you’re shooting for 350 degrees). You can test it out by adding a teeny pinch of the potato mixture to see if it sizzles immediately.

Working in batches, add ¼ cup piles of the mixture into the hot oil, pressing down with a spatula to encourage it to spread out to a 3” diameter. Cook until golden brown and crisp underneath, 2-4 minutes.

Flip the latkes and continue to cook on the second side until golden brown and crisp, 2-3 minutes longer. Transfer the crisped latkes to the paper towel lined plate to drain briefly, season them with salt, and then transfer them to the wire rack in the oven as they are finished to stay warm.

Repeat, adding more oil in between batches as needed.

Serve the latkes warm with dilly sour cream alongside.

备注

The key to crisp latkes is wringing out as much moisture from the potatoes as possible so that they don’t steam from within and soften the exterior. You’ll also need a fair amount of oil or fat in the skillet to allow them to evenly crisp, so don’t be shy. If you can get your hands on schmaltz instead of vegetable oil, by all means use it. Few things are more delicious than potatoes fried in schmaltz. This recipe yields 12 latkes, and I point that out only because I know how quickly these things fly off the plate. If you’re cooking for more than 4 people I might recommend doubling down.