The first time I tasted these was at a Jewish restaurant in Brooklyn, NY. I can’t remember how long ago that was. Maybe it was 15 years ago when I still lived in New York? Who knows. I remember them as these thin, crispy, savory potato pancakes that I dipped into sour cream (that’s what everyone else was doing).
I’ll be honest, I wasn’t blown away by the experience the first time I ate them. I expected something that tasted different from the hash browns I typically had for breakfast through my early twenties. I shrugged off Latkes until years later, after moving to the Bay Area, one of my co-workers invited me over for dinner at her Jewish mother’s house. The featured side item? Latkes!
Oh the flavors! My friend’s mom proved why I’ll never pass a home cooked meal for take-out. She infused so many flavors into these pancakes, and my taste-buds exploded with excitement. She also didn’t make them razor thin. She served hers a bit thicker than traditional Latkes…even though they were still crispy on the outside.
So when I prepared these, I remembered that experience. I wanted these savory goodies to have the infusion of flavor, the crispy bite, and be a little thicker than the traditional Latke so that one would be sufficient to stick to my tum-tum. BUT. If you’re into the thin Latkes, this recipe will hold even with the thin pancake approach.
The three recipes below incorporate a few classic holiday flavors. My favorite of the three is the Green Bean Casserole version, but my husband decimated the Apple Spice ones. The Stuffing Latkes were incredible too, and I loved that they were super easy to make. The key ingredient in all three, however, is Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki Sauce. You’ll notice it brings out the flavor of the other ingredients, and you’ll be able to pick up on the teriyaki flavor especially in the Apple Spice Latkes.
[kindred-recipe id=”1255″ title=”“Green Bean Casserole” Potato Latkes”]
[kindred-recipe id=”1459″ title=”Apple Spice Sweet Potato Latkes”]
[kindred-recipe id=”1460″ title=”“Stuffing” Latkes”]
2 responses to “Latkes… Three ways”
These sound delicious. Love the creativity in the modifications. And your story about your Jewish friend perfectly illustrates why having diverse friends is so important – you learn so many new things! Now, which one to make first…
Given everything that is going on in the world today, it is more important than ever to reach across the aisle and unite. I hope you enjoyed the recipes!