Latkes

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 200°F and set up two baking sheets — line one with paper towels and fit a wire cooling rack into the other. This staging system keeps finished latkes warm and crispy while you work through the batch.
2. Scrub the potatoes thoroughly but leave the skin on — it adds texture and helps hold everything together. Cut each potato crosswise in half to fit your food processor feed tube.
3. Using the shredding disk of your food processor, grate the potatoes and onion together. Work quickly once you start — potatoes begin oxidizing the moment they're cut.
4. Bundle the grated mixture in a triple layer of cheesecloth, then gather the corners and tie them around a wooden spoon handle. Twist and squeeze aggressively over a bowl until no more liquid drips out — this step makes the difference between soggy and crispy latkes.
5. Allow the drained liquid to sit undisturbed for a few minutes, then carefully pour off the brownish liquid while keeping the white potato starch that settled at the bottom. This starch is your natural binding agent.
6. Add the squeezed potato-onion mixture, egg, matzo meal, salt, and pepper to the bowl with the reserved starch. Mix everything together with your fingers until evenly distributed — hands work better than spoons here. Let the mixture rest while you heat the oil.

   ⏱ 10 min
7. Pour oil into a large skillet to a depth of 1/4 inch and heat over medium-high heat. Test the temperature by dropping in a small pinch of the potato mixture — it should sizzle immediately and vigorously.
8. Scoop 1/4 cup of the mixture onto a large spatula and flatten it into a 4-inch patty, pressing gently to compact. The edges should be relatively even but don't worry about perfect circles.
9. Carefully slide the latke into the hot oil, starting from the edge closest to you. Fry until deeply golden-brown and crispy, about 4-5 minutes per side. Don't flip too early — wait for that deep color to develop.

   ⏱ 5 min
10. Lift the finished latkes onto the paper towel-lined baking sheet and let them drain for 2 minutes. This brief rest helps excess oil drip away without making them soggy.

    ⏱ 2 min
11. Serve immediately with sour cream for the best texture, or transfer to the wire rack in the warm oven where they'll stay crispy for up to 30 minutes. Just don't stack them or they'll steam and lose their crunch.