seetheworld

would love to have the recipe for the sweet version. I love sweet potatoes.

Here you go, indie.

2 medium sweet potatoes
1 egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 to 2 tablespoons potato flour (or all-purpose flour will do)
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
Oil, for frying
Sour cream



Parboil potatoes in boiling water until slightly tender but firm. Refrigerate potatoes until cold. Remove skin and shred into bowl. Add egg, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, potato flour and brown sugar. Mix until well blended.

Coat the bottom of 10-inch non-stick skillet with 2 tablespoons oil. Shape potato mixture into 2-1/2 inch patties. Cook until brown on both sides and transfer to paper towels to drain briefly. Add oil as needed to remaining batches. Top with sour cream.

Marilyn and Faina -- on the Rhoda show with Valerie Harper, someone handed her a piece of candy and she said "I don't know why I even bother putting this in my mouth, I should just apply it directly to my hips".

I make applesauce. I use four or five varieties of apples, granny smith, fuji, red delicious and whatever else catches my eye. I put in a round tea ball (strainer) with about one tablespoon of mulling spices in the pot. When it's done, I add a little sugar to taste, vanilla, and butter. This is optional if you feel the need to add more calories, which I always have the need to do ;-)

I prefer applesauce to sour cream on my latkes. My hubby, the goy, and I trade off saying the candle lighting prayers, can't spell bruchas (sp), one says them, one lights the candles.

Latkes and brisket - heaven on Earth.

I'm going to try the sweet potato recipe, do you serve them with applesauce?

SeetheWorld--
Thanks for the recipes. I'm going to consult w/my asst. chef and chief cleaner-upper, Mr. OWJ, to see if he thinks the sweet kind or the scallion ones would go over best. I'm leaning towards the sweet but I'm cooking for his family's Chanukah gathering.

Thanks for the links, will check those out also

Does anyone eat jelly donuts on Chanukah? Growing up, we had Sephartic friends who had homemade little yummy jelly donuts for Chanukah. We liked them so much, we adopted their tradition--though my mom was lazy and just went to Dunkin Donuts for ours ;-)

Anyone want to meet me at the gym after all these fried foods?

We could start another recipe thread:brisket & latkes. I tried to vary my recipes over the years but met with cries of protest. Therefore, every year its: Ned Waxman's Brisket from Silver Palate Good Times COokbook, Pennies from Heaven from Basics. Red Cabbage(Joyce Goldstein) Open Hand COokbook Volume 1, Latkes(Cooks Magazine--years ago).
We don't have jelly donuts and usually have cookies and gelt for dessert. We light the mennorah and the candlelabra smuggled out of Germany in the 40's by the family cook. Oh how the old folks smile!!
Happy Hannukah one and all and may it be a peaceful New Year.

I forgot to say..even in California we have come to realize the best oil is peanut oil for those latkes. I do use a cuisinart to grate the potatoes but the best latkes come from out friend Fran who uses an ACME hand grater(Newark,NJ) for both the potatoes and the onions.

Over the years, I have tried many brisket recipes, Lipton's Onion Soup mix etc.. About five years ago I found a recipe called, "My Mother's Brisket" on Epicurious, and I have used it ever since. It is fabulous, the best that I have ever made.

Each year I waffle between cooking it the night before (as recommended by Cooks Illustrated and several other sources), and making it the same day. The house smells sooooo good while it is cooking. They say if you make it the night before, slice it. wrap it tightly, and refrigerate it overnight, the meat has a better flavor (as with all things served the next day), and the meat itself has a better texture, and you can remove a lot of the fat.

What are your preferences???

Jelly Donuts - I had never heard about eating them at Chanukah until I was older. I thought that it was an Israeli custom. We have never had them on Chanukah, too stuffed after the meal. I make up for that all year long, as they are my favorite donuts. Always room to nosh on chocolate gelt though. (gelt = money. It is customary to give kids Chanukah Gelt. You can buy little packages of chocolate coins wrapped in gold tin foil. I use them as table decorations and then gobble them down later (or before).

New Yorkers ... Have any of you seen the Empire State Building? I heard that it was going to be lit in blue and white for Chanukah. I really wish that I could be there to see it. We won't be there until the 23rd.

We have the giant Menorah in Union Square here in San Francisco, but it has been years since I have seen it.

Funny funny card from my husband, "Menorah Blahniks" on the bottom and a sketch of a an open toed sandal with a strap, with the candles mounted on the shoe.

I love the way this thread is going, especialy the warmth from everyone, not just those of us who celebrate Chanukah. Great recipes too.

Pam - - Even though I have a Cuisinart, I have always felt that it was sacri-religious to use it for grating the potatoes.
I too use my old hand grater. I think that my poor grated fingers add a little something extra to the flavor ;-)

You're right, that is one of the few things that I don't cook in olive oil. I know that I am breaking some kind of California law.

Such a marvelous story about your Menorah - what a treasure for you and your family, and the generations to come.

Nina, I would put applesauce on savory latkes, including the sweet potato w/ scallions although I admit, I love sour cream with mine. I have never made the sweet, sweet potato latkes, but to balance the sweetness, I would probably eat them with sour cream also. But I think there is no "right" or "wrong" combination and you should enjoy them the way you want to! Now I'm hungry

Have a great day!

I just love potato latkes. There is a deli in the Phila. suburbs that serves a sandwich on latkes. Two HUGE latkes. One is piled high with pastrami,coleslaw and russian dressing. The other latke is piled high with corned beef, coleslaw, and russian dressing. The tastes just blend together in the most delicious way!!

Living all these years next to apple orchards in MA I think I have my applesauce down pat.I buy mixed drops or seconds..just quarter the apples, make sure the black seeds they make the sauce bitter) are out, when the pot is (I don't peel them) full I fill it with water and them empty the water leaving just the apples with just enough moisture on them.. I add apple pie spice and cover the pot and let simmer (hint--spray Pam on the bottom of the pot first so apples don't stick) when it's almost ready I add fresh apple cider to pot. I use a Foley Mill to make puree into sauce and two huge pots leaves me with just the skins. I don't add sugar unless it really needs it....then I just freeze it all and take out as needed. There is nothing like warm applesauce over latkes or vanilla ice cream. When I make brisket as long as I have my oven on I make two, especially when they are on sale. If I have time before the holidays I freeze them both wrapped in the foil. Kasha and bows I try to make fresh...

Best wishes for a happy Chanukah celebration to you all.

I think the best latkes are those that are crispy on the edges. That means I NEVER make them up ahead and keep them warm in the oven. and as for frozen latkes....yuck!

I work with 2 frying pans and serve them just as they are done....and yes..that means I spend more time in the kitchen.

My mother's reciepe is probably at least 100 yrs old( it belonged to her mothere) and it's quite basic. This is her original recipe

Grate 5 "good size" potatoes
Add 6 eggs
add 2 handfuls of matzoh meal
minced or fresh onion to taste

For larger groups I use the ration of 5 lbs potatos, 10 eggs, and 1/2 c + matzoh meal

PS don't drop into the oil until the oil is very hot

Has anyone had the latkes at Nate and Al's deli in Beverly Hills? A few years ago, my husband and I discovered it while visiting, and they were oh so good. Even my husband, the goy, couldn't get enough!

I think the latkes at Nate 'n Al's are good. Mine are better.

OTOH, the salami and eggs at N&A's are most excellent. Great to sit in one of the booths (a little cramped after a couple of latke/salami/eggs overindulgences) eavesdropping on movie types taking breakfast with their courtiers. Not once have we been there without Ms. G'loo or one of her sharp-eyed pals spotting some Holly-vud A - to - C list personas in the room.

Anyone had the latkes and brisket stack (forget the official name) at Sarge's deli on ? 3rd ? Ave./ ? 28th ? in NYC? One can hear one's arteries dying happy.

The sweet potato latke idea is great - I might use it for our Christmas brunch this year. We, like a lot of other families, are a mixed-culture bunch and everything gets celebrated.
My mother was not a wonderful cook, but she made latkes every year and my kids loved them. I wouldn't even attempt to duplicate her recipe - I tried a few times and the kids said, "Gee, these are nice, Mom, but they're not like Mama's." So perhaps we need a departure from tradition here. Happy Chanukah, everybody!

Dick, your latke methods and ingredients list is almost exactly what my German grandmother's potato pancake recipe was- yours just has a little more egg proportion.

We also serve them with canned pears and sour cream, besides the applesauce choice.

One thing is certain, and that is the freshness is primary. Nothing is worse than a leftover/frozen one.

I do use Kitchenaid processor to do potato/ onion grating with the grating accessory piece. Other than that, I do the entire thing the long way, and always used two or three pans. One time I can remember, they all lined up waiting for them to come out of the frying pan, and no latke ever made it to the big serving platter.

We used to have these on Fridays throughout the year, when I was growing up and also several nights a week in Lent. Those were the days before anyone knew what cholesterol was. You don't have to be Jewish to enjoy a terrific traditional dish. Happy Chanukah!

So true that most of the latkes never make it to the big serving platter. When we have a big group, we also use an electric frying pan. This year for the two of us, I used it and it was some much easier and cleaner than using the stove.

I was suppose to make a small dinner for some non-Jewish neighbors/friends who live in our vacation home area. I had to cancel at the last minute because we couldn't get up there. One of them asked if I had planned on making Challah and rugalach, along with the latkes and brisket. Challah, rugalach, AND latkes???? Apparantly she had had a few Jewish things over the years and wanted to have them all in one meal. I hated to disappoint her - I asked her if she thought that I was the Jewish Martha Stewart - she liked that. (That is soooo not me).

San Francisco has a large Russian community and some great markets, in the Richmond District. We buy sour cream from one of them, and it is so thick that you could mortar a brick wall with it. I love it on pelmeni (sp). Right out of the carton isn't bad either!

Just tell her your the Jewish Joan Nathan....I just love her recipe for Rugelach which I'm going to make this weekend.

thanks seetheworld - will try 'em this weekend.

Nina66, next time in a russian store, find chocolate candy, usually boxed, called "bird's milk", it's heavenly! The best description I can give is a piece of Tiramisu covered in chocolate