Happy Hanukkah to all of Pat's friends who celebrate! The best way to celebrate the Festival of Lights is with potato latkes and Pat has a brand new recipe with a spin on this classic dish! Adding leeks to the mix, everyone at your Hanukkah party will be asking for more! Don't forget the sour cream and applesauce for dipping! Pat hopes you enjoy!
6 Yukon gold potatoes chopped into pieces small enough to go into the food processor with the shredding disc. You can also manually shred these with a box grater
2 leeks washed and diced
1 shallot (optional)
1 egg
1/2 cup tapioca flour or regular flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Sour cream & applesauce for dipping
Directions
Grate the potatoes using the grating disc of your food processor or by using a box grater
Take half of the grated potatoes and add them back to a food processor and pulse a few times until they start to resemble mashed potatoes. You want half to be grated and half to be a mashed consistency. This will ensure creamy, but crunchy latkes
Drain all water from the potatoes by using a nut milk bag or cheese cloth. (This step is very important. If you don't remove all of the water, the latkes will take a long time to crisp up and they will possibly burn before that happens)
Once all the water is removed, add the potatoes to a large bowl
Throw the leeks and shallot into the food processor and pulse until it starts to look like a paste
Using the nut milk bag squeeze out the moisture from the leeks and shallots
Add leek mixture to potatoes
In a small bowl, beat the egg with the salt and pepper
Pour egg mixture over potatoes and leeks, and mix well
Add flour, baking powder, and cheddar cheese to the mixture and mix well
Heat enough oil (avocado oil or oil of your choice) in a large skillet to cover the bottom of the pan. Use medium heat
Once oil is hot, drop spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the oil. I use a heaping tablespoon and then I use the back of the spoon to flatten the latke once it is in the oil. Do not move the latke for about 3 minutes. Once one side is golden brown, flip it over and brown the other side
As the latkes are cooking, transfer them to a paper towel lined baking sheet to absorb excess oil
