Potato Latke Recipes for Hanukkah, with a Twist

Potato latkes are a delicious Hanukkah specialty. The tradition of latkes stems from the miracle of Hanukkah in which a small flask of pure olive oil burned in the Temple Menorah for eight days. Because of this miracle we celebrate Hanukkah by eating fried foods including the much loved latkes.

Traditional latkes are simply potatoes, onions, eggs, salt, pepper and oil. From that basic recipe we can add other ingredients and make nontraditional latkes which will still celebrate the miracle. Here are some recipes that I have created to add a little something extra to a Hanukkah celebration. There's no set serving size, the size is based on how large the latkes are and whether they are a main or side course. Judge for yourself, double the recipes if you need a lot of latkes, more is always better, the latkes refrigerate well and can be heated in the oven later.

A word about the oil: Frying in olive oil will smoke up your kitchen fast. Use vegetable oil and if you want some olive oil taste just add a little to the vegetable oil.

If you like spicy fries, you'll love this recipe for spicy latkes.

Spicy Latkes

4 large potatoes

2 onions

2 eggs

1 tbsp Cajun spice or more

fresh ground pepper

salt

vegetable oil

Grate the potatoes and onions by hand or in a processor. Add the spices and mix with a fork. Then add the eggs and mix. If the batter is very wet then add some flour, you want it loose but not dripping.

Heat up the oil (enough to come up to the middle of the latkes) in a heavy fry pan and fry latkes until golden brown.

One of my favorite latke variations is made with sweet potatoes or yams. This style has become more popular in recent years but I add my own touch.

Yammy Latkes

2-3 large yams or sweet potatoes

1 small onion

2 eggs

tiny pinch of nutmeg

tiny pinch of cinnamon

salt

pepper-just a bit, not too much

vegetable oil

Process potatoes- add in small chunks to the machine since yams are harder than regular potatoes. Process onion and combine. Add spices and mix then add eggs and mix again. Yams are not as watery as potatoes so you probably won't need flour. Fry in a generous amount of oil until crisp.

These latke recipes will jazz up your table, and don't worry about the oil, it's one week out of the whole year, live a little.