Recipe: Latkes and Applesauce

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Cary, NC – Hanukkah lasts until Sunday – plenty of time to make potato latkes and homemade applesauce. Here are two recipes we’ve published in the past to celebrate the season. All photos by Joey Rozier from the set “Latkes & Applesauce.”

Latkes: Potato Pancakes the Hanukkah Way

Recipe by Leslie Huffman.

Like my Jewish Mom always says, “eat, eat!” And, like many holidays, Hanukkah is accompanied many traditional foods.

Fried foods like “sufganiyot” (jelly-filled doughnuts) and “latkes” (potato pancakes) are some of my favorite. Most of the foods are fried in oil, symbolic of the oil that lasted eight days.

Anybody here in the South like fried food? Hanukkah is the holiday for you! It is a veritable Festival of Fried.

Please enjoy my Mother’s recipe for potato latkes:

Ingredients

  • 3 cups, peeled and shredded potatoes
  • 1 cup mashed potatoes
  • 1 onion, shredded
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tablespoons matzo meal or cracker crumbs
  • 1 teaspoon (kosher or coarse) salt
  • 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
Directions
  1. In a medium bowl, mix shredded potatoes, mashed potatoes and onion. Add in eggs, matzo meal and salt; mix well.
  2. Feel consistency of the dough; mixture should hold together without being sticky. If it sticks to your hands, add more matzo meal until dough is no longer sticky.
  3. In a large skillet over medium heat, warm enough oil or butter or margarine to cover 1/4 inch of the skillet.
  4. When hot, drop mixture by heaping tablespoon to oil; flatten with a spatula and cook on both sides until golden brown.
  5. Traditionally served with applesauce or sour cream.

Above, shredded potatoes. Visit Latkes & Applesauce on Flickr for a For a brief video of latkes frying in the pan.

Homemade Applesauce Recipe

Recipe by Leslie Huffman. 

This time of year many folks love the lights, the songs, the gift giving. It’s all nice, but, I am all about the food. A beautiful roast, roasted vegetables, potato latkes, anything chocolate and family.

It is traditional during Hanukkah to eat your potato latkes with either sour cream or applesauce. But it is a shame if you spend all that time preparing the wonderful potato pancakes and then serve them with applesauce out of a jar!

Make this delicious home made applesauce and it will be the hit of the Hanukkah meal! Good for Christmas and New Year’s too.

Ingredients

  • 12 apples (I like Fuji or McIntosh)
  • 3 or 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1  cinnamon stick

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Core the apples and cut into 1 inch pieces, and toss with lemon juice in a bowl.
  2. Heat the butter in a metal-handled dutch oven over medium-high heat until the butter begins to brown.
  3. Add the apples, brown sugar and salt. Cook until apples begin to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the honey and cinnamon.
  4. Transfer to oven and roast until soft, about 20 – 30 minutes.
  5. Remove cinnamon stick and mash for chunky sauceor puree in a food processor.