Root vegetable latkes with beet applesauce
Prep: 25 minutes Cook: 9-11 minutes per batch Makes: 16 latkes (each 3 to 4 inches wide)
This recipe is adapted from one by celebrated culinary instructor and award-winning author Marlene Sorosky Gray. It is vegetable-rich with five root veggies, uncommon but healthy. All five are easy to find at this time of the year. Use a good knife — not a vegetable peeler — for the outer skin of the rutabaga.
1 1 ⁄2 cups peeled, shredded boiling potatoes, such as Yukon Gold
1 cup peeled, shredded rutabaga, about ½ pound
1 cup peeled, shredded parsnips, about 4 parsnips
1 cup peeled, shredded celery root, about medium 1 bulb
1 cup shredded onion, about 1 medium onion
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1⁄3 cup flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
4 to 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
Flaky salt
Beet applesauce, see recipe on page 44
1. Stir together potatoes, rutabaga, parsnips, celery root and onion in a large bowl. Add eggs, flour and salt; mix well until thoroughly combined.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Form patties by lightly packing the mixture into a ¼ cup measure; drop 4 to 5 mounds of the mixture into the hot oil. Flatten them into 3-inch rounds with a spatula. Cook until the bottoms are deeply browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side, about 4 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with paper towels. If you’re serving immediately, keep your first batch warm in a single layer in a 200-degree oven while you cook the rest.
3. Remove any veggie shreds from oil left in skillet. If skillet is dry, add 1 to 2 more tablespoons of oil, and when hot, continue making latkes. (Latkes may be refrigerated overnight or frozen. Reheat in a single layer at 425 until sizzling and crisp, 6 to 10 minutes.)
4. Before serving, sprinkle with the flaky salt. Serve with the beet applesauce.
Nutrition information per latke: 84 calories, 4 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 23 mg cholesterol, 10 g carbohydrates, 2 g sugar, 2 g protein, 174 mg sodium, 2 g fiber