The Oklahoman

Easiest way to make best latkes starts in freezer aisle

- BY BONNIE S. BENWICK Adapted from a recipe at KosherEver­yday.com.

Food writers bestow “hack” or “genius” upon techniques and recipes that are novel and simplified, but I offer another subgenre that is worth your considerat­ion: The “why not?”

As in, when making the delightful potato pancakes called latkes, start with shredded hash brown potatoes. Why not? Clever Hanukkah cooks have been using the frozen product for years. Their options before that were:

A. Grating spuds by hand, with unpleasant potential for knuckle scraping.

B. Unearthing the correct disk attachment for the food processor, and working fast enough to avoid the graying of potato shreds.

I am almost sure the graying is why sweet potato latkes, parsnip latkes, turnip latkes, beet latkes and leek latkes rose to prominence. Because it is hard to top freshly made, golden brown, deliciousl­y crispy potato latkes — unless we are talking a slice of smoked salmon, a dollop of sour cream and a sprig of dill.

You might counter the “why not” with: Because those frozen potatoes have additives such as disodium dihydrogen (sodium acid) pyrophosph­ate. Well, as those things go, this one works in a latke maker’s favor. The chemical helps keep the raw potato from discolorin­g, and the scientific community’s verdict indicates this type of additive is acceptable in small amounts, on occasion.

Although the package may indicate KEEP FROZEN, I’m here to say that if you do go with the “why not” approach, refrigerat­e the appropriat­e amount of frozen shredded hash brown potatoes in a towel-lined bowl overnight. This will wick away moisture — and there will be more moisture to wring out.

The best part of the accompanyi­ng recipe might not even be the use of pre-shredded spuds, but rather the onion component. A worthy latke contains onion in some form; it’s not worth arguing in the comments field or via email. I will simply not engage.

Make ahead: The frozen hash browns need to defrost in a towellined bowl overnight in the refrigerat­or.

HASH BROWN LATKES WITH CARAMELIZE­D ONION

Servings: 4 to 8; makes 12 to 16 pancakes

1 pound frozen hash browns (see headnote)

¼ cup caramelize­d onions

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/3 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more as needed

¼ to ½ teaspoon kosher salt (optional) Safflower oil, for frying

¼ cup finely chopped turkey pepperoni (optional; see VARIATION)

Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Seat a wire cooling rack on top.

Place the frozen shredded potatoes in a bowl lined with a clean kitchen towel or layers of cheeseclot­h. Gather the cloth together and squeeze out as much moisture as possible, over the sink.

Open the cloth over a mixing bowl, letting the shredded potatoes fall in there. Add the caramelize­d onions, flour, egg, baking powder, pepper and the salt (to taste), if using, stirring to incorporat­e.

Pour enough of the oil into a large nonstick skillet to fill ¼ inch. Heat over medium heat. Add 4 or 5 large spoonfuls of the potato mixture to the pan, flattening them slightly. Cook for 3 minutes or until browned on the edges, then use 2 spatulas to turn them over, gently, away from you in the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes, then transfer to the wire rack to drain. Repeat to use all the potato mixture.

Season the latkes lightly with pepper, as needed. Serve warm.

VARIATION: Stir the turkey pepperoni, if using, into the potato mixture just before you’re ready to fry.

 ?? [PHOTO BY TOM MCCORKLE, FOR THE WASHINGTON POST] ?? Hash Brown Latkes With Caramelize­d Onion
[PHOTO BY TOM MCCORKLE, FOR THE WASHINGTON POST] Hash Brown Latkes With Caramelize­d Onion

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