Cooking Lesson #1125: Leon Askin’s Chanukah Potato Latkes

…from the Perspectives’ Holiday Kitchen

How you doin’? Many years ago, Leon Askin invited me over for a Chanukah dinner. I had just designed a theatre production that he directed. He promised me a great brisket and the best potato latkes (potato pancakes) I ever tasted. Leon was an Austrian-Jewish actor best known in North America for portraying the character General Burkhalter on the TV situation comedy Hogan's Heroes.
 
I like potato latkes. They are made with potatoes and both green and yellow onions—sweet, lightly pungent, savory with a wonderfully soft and crispy texture —what could be better?
 
Potato latkes are traditionally served with applesauce, but the fully loaded version goes a little overboard with crème fraîche, lox, salmon caviar and chives. The toppings are usually set on the table to let the guests build their own latkes.
 
Just what is Chanukah? It is a Jewish festival commemorating the recovery of Jerusalem and subsequent rededication of the Second Temple at the beginning of the Maccabean revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BCE. I hope I got that right.
 
The festival of lights lasts for eight nights and days and is observed by lighting the candles of a menorah. Each night, an additional candle is lit until all eight candles are lit together on the final night of the festival.
 
Chanukah has attained major cultural significance in North America and elsewhere, especially among secular Jews, as it often occurs around the same time as Christmas during the holiday season giving license to celebrate with great food and gift giving.
 
Prep time:  20 minutes
Cook time:  5 to 7 minutes
Yield:  5 servings
 
Ingredients 
1 cup coarsely shredded yellow onion
2-1/2 pounds russet baking potatoes, peeled and coarsely shredded
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions (tops and bottoms)
2 large beaten eggs
1/4 cup matzo meal (or all-purpose flour)
3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, cooled slightly
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Vegetable oil, for flat frying
 
Applesauce, crème fraîche, lox, salmon caviar, and chives, for toppings
 
Directions

1. Read the recipe all the way through before starting. Measure all ingredients and have at your side.
2. Using a kitchen towel, squeeze the water out of the shredded yellow onions.
3. In a colander set over a large bowl, toss the shredded potatoes with the onion and squeeze them dry. Let the vegetables drain for 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Combine the potatoes, onion, eggs, green onions, matzo meal, butter, salt, pepper and baking powder and mix well; set aside.
5. In a large flat skillet, heat a 1/8-inch layer of oil over moderately high heat until shimmering.
6. Scoop 1/4-cup mounds of the potato latke mixture into the skillet, about 2 inches apart, and flatten slightly with a spatula.
7. Fry the latkes, turning once, until golden and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes.
8. Transfer the latkes to paper towels to drain and then transfer them to a heated platter. Repeat to make the remaining latkes, adding more oil to the skillet as needed.
9. Serve the latkes with applesauce, crème fraîche, smoked salmon, salmon caviar and chives.

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ChefSecret:  The real secret to a crisp latke is to drain the water the onion and potatoes once you’ve sliced them. Here, we save the starchy paste the potatoes create, and fold it back into the veggies with a handful of matzo meal. The result is a latke that fries up golden brown and crispy at the edges—and sturdy enough to hold up under all kinds of delicious garnishes. The latkes can be fried early in the day and re-crisped on a baking sheet in a 350° F oven.
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Quip of the Day: Three high rise construction workers were sitting on top of a high rise eating lunch. The first builder opens up his lunch pail and says, "if I get a turkey sandwich one more time, I'm gonna jump off this building and kill myself". The second builder opens up his lunch box and says, “if I get a polish sausage again, I'll join you and jump off this building and kill myself." The third worker opens his lunch box and says, “if I get potato pancakes again, I'll join you two and kill myself as well.”

The next day at lunch the first worker opens his lunch box shows the other guys a turkey sandwich and jumps and kills himself. The second worker opens his lunchbox, shows the remaining worker his polish sausage and jumps off the building and kills himself. The third worker opens his lunch and sees that it’s potato pancakes again, he throws the lunchbox off the building and jumps off and kills himself.

About a week later at one of the funerals the wife of the first worker says, "God had I known he wanted something other than a turkey sandwich, I would have made him something else!" The wife of the second worker says, "Oh me too, had I known he had grown tired of polish sausage I could have made him anything else!" The third wife says, "Stupid jerk, he always made his own lunch."
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/perspectives-on-food.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to  Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

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