Description
Crispy potato latkes in a hurry - no shredding and draining required!
Ingredients
3 cups cold mashed potatoes
1 cup shredded Gruyère cheese
1 large egg, beaten
3/4 cup scallions, chopped
3/4 cup self rising flour
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs, for dredging
Neutral oil and butter, for sautéing
Instructions
- Before mixing raw egg and flour into the potatoes, taste your leftover mashed potatoes for seasoning level, to determine how much additional salt and pepper will be needed once you add in the other ingredients. Then combine the cold mashed potatoes, the shredded cheese, the beaten egg, sliced scallions and three quarters cup flour to a large bowl. Mix well to combine. Start by adding a half teaspoon of salt and a half teaspoon of black pepper.
- Note: because the key ingredient in this recipe is mashed potatoes, which have varying seasoning levels, I recommend making a mini-latke before shaping all of the potato cakes. This will ensure you have achieved the seasoning level you are looking for in the latkes.
- If your potato mixture is too loose to shape into cakes, add another tablespoon of flour. If the potatoes are firm enough to shape into cakes, use a 1/4 cup measure or ice cream scoop to shape into small round patties. Dredge lightly in panko bread crumbs. Lay the potato cakes on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Once they are all shaped and dredged, refrigerate for 30 minutes. This step will firm up the mixture and make the pan-frying process easier.
- Next, heat about 2 tablespoons of neutral oil and a tablespoon of butter in a cast iron skillet or large nonstick skillet over medium heat (ensure you have enough oil to fully cover the bottom of the pan). Once the oil shimmers, add 4-6 latkes, ensuring they are in a single layer so they brown. Fry the cakes for 3-4 minutes per side, monitoring the browning and rotating the cakes in the pan to ensure an even, golden brown color.
- Once the first batch is cooked, move the cakes to a wire rack over a baking sheet and set in a warming oven until all the potato cakes are finished cooking. (You can use paper towels, but that make compromise the crispness we're seeking).
- Add another tablespoon of oil and butter to the pan to cover the bottom, and continue frying the potato patties until the batch is complete.
- Serve warm with sour cream dill sauce.
Notes
Because the key ingredient in our latkes is mashed potatoes, which have varying seasoning levels, I recommend two quick extra steps in this recipe process. First, taste your leftover mashed potatoes before mixing in the raw egg and flour. How do they taste? Salty? Kind of bland? Can you taste pepper? Think about how much salt and pepper might be needed to make the finished cakes pop.
The second checkpoint comes when you finish making the potato mixture. I recommend before shaping all the patties and dredging in the panko crumbs, make a small tester patty. Again, we want to ensure that once you've added the cheese and scallions and flour and egg, your potatoes have enough seasoning to stand on their own.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 30
- Category: Easy Recipes
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: German, Polish, Jewish, American