Deb Perelman, the creator of the food blog, Smitten Kitchen, joins us to discuss all things Hanukkah food. Below is her recipe for everyone's Hanukkah favorite -- latkes!
Latkes
By Deb Perelman / Smitten Kitchen
1 large baking potato (1 pound), peeled
1 small onion (4 ounces), peeled
1/4 cup all-purpose flour or potato starch
1 teaspoon baking powder (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
A few grinds freshly ground pepper
1 large egg
Peanut oil, for frying
In a food processor or on the large holes of a box grater, coarsely shred the potato and onion. For longer strands, lay the potato sideways in the chute of your food processor. Transfer to a colander or wrap in a cheesecloth sling, and squeeze as dry as possible. Let stand for 2 minutes, then squeeze out again.
In a large bowl, whisk the flour or starch, baking powder (if using), salt and pepper, and egg together. Stir in the potato onion mixture until all pieces are evenly coated.
Heat oven to 175 degrees and cover a large baking sheet with foil.
In a medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil until shimmering. Drop packed tablespoons of the potato mixture into the skillet and flatten them with the back of a spoon. Cook the latkes over moderately high heat until the edges are golden, about 1 1/2 minutes; flip and cook until golden on the bottom, about 1 minute. Drain on paper towels and transfer to prepared tray, and transfer the tray to the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining potato mixture, adding more oil to the skillet as needed.
Do ahead: Latkes are a do-ahead-er’s dream. Cooked, they keep well in the fridge for a day or two, or in the freezer, well wrapped, for up to two weeks. Reheat them in a single layer on a cookie sheet in a 350 degree oven until they’re crisp again. Bonus: If you undercooked them a bit or didn’t get the browning on them you’d hoped for, you can compensate for this in the oven.
This recipe originally appeared on SmittenKitchen.com.
New York Public Radio’s director of archives, Andy Lanset, (23:47) presents this week’s “Andy in the Archives.”
Filmmaker Gary Hustwit, (30:52) who made the films "Helvetica," "Objectified," "Urbanized," and "Workplace," joins us to discuss directing the documentary, “Rams.” The film profiles Dieter Rams, one of the most important designers of the 20th century. and is now playing at Metrograph.