Yukon Gold and Sweet Potato Latkes

This is a recipe that my father (born and bred in the Bronx, NY - son of immigrants) worked on with my husband Todd to update the potato latkes when we got married in 1995. It wound up being the lead recipe for our book the New Jewish Table. It has a long history of being on our table for the holidays. 

Makes six 5-inch latkes.

Ingredients

  • 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes

  • 2 medium sweet potatoes

  • 1 medium yellow onion

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1/2 cup matzo meal

  • 1 TBSP minced fresh thyme leaves

  • 1 TBSP salt

  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/2 cup canola oil

FOR SERVING (OPTIONAL)

  • Cranberry Sauce

  • ½ cup dried cranberries

  • 1 shallot, sliced 

  • 1 cup water

  • 1 TBS butter

Cooking Instructions

  1. Grate the Yukon Gold and sweet potatoes on the large-mesh side of a box grater or in a food processor. With your hands, squeeze out any liquid and transfer the potatoes to a medium-size bowl. With the same grater, grate the onion into the bowl with the potatoes. Add the eggs, matzo meal, thyme, salt, and pepper. Using a wooden spoon or your hands, mix together until ingredients are well blended.

  2. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat a 12-inch nonstick sauté pan over high heat; add half a cup of a and heat until it begins to smoke. Working in batches to cook three cakes at a time, shape the potato mixture into 5-inch round cakes about a 1/2-inch thick, adding each to the pan as you do so. Lower the heat to medium and cook the cakes without moving them until brown on one side—about 4 minutes; turn them over and cook until the other side is brown—about 4 minutes more. Remove the cakes from the pan and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

  3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1/4 cup of oil in the pan and shape and cook the remaining potato mixture. When the first batch of latkes is drained, transfer them to a serving plate and keep warm in the oven. Serve with the toppings of your choice including cranberry sauce below.

    SERVING INSTRUCTIONS (OPTIONAL)

    1. Place dried cranberries in 1/2 cup of hot water. Allow cranberries to plump for at least 20 minutes.

    2. Add shallots to heated pan and sauté one minute. Add the plumped cranberries, juice and all, and cook until liquid is reduced by half. Stir in butter to finish the sauce. Spoon over hot latkes.