By?

Published Dec. 20, 2024

INGREDIENTS

• ?cup all-purpose flour
• 1teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
• 1teaspoon baking powder
• ?teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2large russet potatoes (about 1 pound), scrubbed and cut lengthwise into quarters
• 1large onion (8 ounces), peeled and cut into quarters
• Safflower, olive, avocado or grapeseed oil, for frying

PREPARATION

1. Step?1

   In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, baking powder and pepper.

2. Step?2

   Using a food processor with a coarse grating disk, grate the potatoes and onion.

3. Step?3

   Transfer the mixture to a clean dish towel and, working over a medium bowl, squeeze and wring out as much of the liquid as you can. (See Tip.) Working quickly, transfer grated potatoes to the bowl with the flour mixture and stir to combine.

4. Step?4

   In a large skillet over medium-high heat (or use two skillets on two burners), pour in about ? inch of the oil. Once the oil is hot, use the palm of your hands to pack 1 tablespoon of the potato mixture into a patty. Drop the patty in the hot oil, using a spatula to flatten them into disks. Do this in batches so you don’t crowd the patties in the pan. When the edges of the latkes are brown and crispy, about 3 to 5 minutes, flip. Cook until the second side is deeply browned, another 3 to 5 minutes. If the latkes start to look too brown, lower the heat. Transfer the latkes to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and sprinkle with salt while still warm. Repeat with the remaining potato mixture, adding more oil as needed.

• For slightly crisper latkes, save the liquid after squeezing the potatoes. Let it sit for 15 minutes so the starch can sink to the bottom of the bowl. Pour out the clear liquid on top of the starch. Add the starchy liquid to the bowl with the potatoes, tossing well.

One tweak -- use besan (aka gram flower) instead of all-purpose flour. Besan is a kind of flour made from chickpeas, available from some supermarkets and most South Asian markets. In addition to making the recipe gluten free, it also fries better than flour. Besan is used in many Indian recipes, including fried dishes like pekora. Even though I like to eat eggs and glutinous breads, I find this makes a better latke than any egg/flour-based recipe I've tried.

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