Baked Potato Latkes – Gluten-Free, Oil-Free Vegan Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the best oil to use for latkes? ›

Vegetable oil or canola oil is usually best, because of its high smoking point. Latkes were traditionally made with schmaltz, or chicken fat, so if you have access to it, you should certainly add it in, because it does contribute to the flavor.

Russet potatoes: Russet potatoes, or baking potatoes, are high in starch and have a dry, mealy texture. This type of potato is best for latkes because the dryness of the potato is partially responsible for that desirable, crispy texture. Yellow onion: Yellow onion adds a savory flavor to the latkes.

These potato pancakes (called latkes) are meant to symbolize the miracle of Hanukkah, when the oil of the menorah in the ransacked Second Temple of Jerusalem was able to stay aflame for eight days even though there was only enough oil for one day. The symbolism comes in the form of the oil in which latkes are fried.

Latkes and hash browns are quite similar, but latkes are made from a few more ingredients. As pointed out by Chowhound user dixieday2, hash browns typically call for just two ingredients — potatoes and onions (and, presumably, salt) — while latkes are made from a batter.

Potato pancakes have a creamy, almost mashed-potato-like center, with a thin, golden, crisp exterior. Latkes, on the other hand, should have a deeply browned crust, with wispy, lacy edges. Latkes also aren't hash browns.

Generally, olive oil, avocado oil, and canola oil are healthful for cooking with. Sunflower oil may be good for shallow frying. Oil reaches its smoking point once it starts to smoke and break down. Once it passes the smoking point, it releases free radicals that can cause damage to cells in the body.

These latkes rely on potato starch as the gluten-free flour and a chickpea “egg” (chickpea flour + water) as the egg substitute.

But, corn meal is a great substitute for matzoh meal and will also make your latkes gluten-free and nice and crispy.

Your Latkes Fall Apart

Luckily, the fix for both of these problems is the same: add some more starch — ideally in the form of matzo meal — which will soak up that extra moisture and bind the ingredients together more tightly. Flour works too, but it sticks together and makes for denser latkes.

A common explanation is that we eat latkes (potato pancakes) because they are cooked in oil and this remind us of the miracle that a single cruse of oil found in the Temple lasted for eight nights.

What is the miracle of the oil? ›

After retaking Jerusalem, the Jews cleared out the Temple and rededicated it. One of the main aspects of the rededication was the lighting of the Menorah. There remained one cruse of oil which had not been defiled, and contained enough oil to last only one night. Miraculously, the one cruse of oil lasted eight nights.

Originally from the Peruvian-Bolivian Andes Mountains, the potato wasn't incorporated into the Eastern European Jewish diet until the eighteen and nineteenth centuries. Historically, Jews in Central and Southern Europe cooked kaese (cheese) latkes, and Jews in Eastern Europe made latkes from buckwheat or rye flour.

In the 1800s “Yankees” in the Northeast enjoyed large. cut potatoes roasted- with crispy pan marks on the. outside and a luscious earthy center. Guests near the. kitchen could hear the slang “yanks” being yelled to.

Boxty is different from other potato pancakes or latkes, and you'll see that once you bite into one and notice the crispy hash brown-like outside and soft, dough-like inside.

The latke, it turns out, has its roots in an old Italian Jewish custom, documented as early as the 14th century. That, it seems, is where Jews first fried pancakes to celebrate Hannukah. Only back then, they were made of cheese.

Canola oil (AKA rapeseed oil), known for its low levels of saturated fats and high smoke point, is a fantastic choice for deep-frying fries. Its light flavour allows the fries' natural taste to come forward while providing a crispy and golden exterior.

The best oil to cook latkes in is one with a high smoke point, like avocado, canola, peanut or sunflower oil, which all have a smoke point of 400°F or higher. Because latkes can take a while to cook, this ensures that your latke can have a nice crispy and golden exterior without getting burnt.

Canola oil and peanut oil are two common choices. A neutral oil won't affect the flavor of your fries, and an oil with a high smoke point (the point at which an oil starts to break down when heated) will be stable throughout your frying process.

Canola oil is one of the best oil for chips fries and is often used for fat-free potato chip recipes.