Happy Hanukkah! The next eight days are sure to be full of family, fun and of course, food. Also known as the Jewish Festival of Lights, Hanukkah represents religious freedom and national survival and is a time for families to light the menorah, sing songs and play games of dreidel. During the celebration people come together to commemorate the Jewish holiday by eating fried foods in relation to the miracle of the burning oil lamps in ancient Jerusalem’s Holy Temple. One food that perfectly represents the story of Hanukkah and how it came to be are none other than latkes. Latkes are essentially crispy pancakes made of grated potatoes, flour and egg and often contain garlic, onions and other seasonings. The smell of freshly frying latkes in the kitchen is simply heavenly. Once cooked, they can be enjoyed with a variety of toppings from traditional applesauce or sour cream. Let’s take things a bit further this year with the addition of smoked salmon and a deliciously decadent dill sour cream. The result is a gorgeous appetizer or breakfast which can be accompanied with our other Hanukkah creations such as Challah French Toast or Sufganiyot.
Russet potatoes are usually a favorite for making latkes because of their high starch content. Yukon Gold potatoes are also a fantastic choice and give off a lovely golden yellow color. However, don’t underestimate the power of Baby Dutch Yellow® Potatoes. Once you tasted the light, buttery flavor of these miniature spuds, you’ll be swapping out all your former potato choices. And although they’re small in size, they hold their shape well during the cooking process, making them an excellent choice for frying until a crispy golden brown. Melissa’s Baby Dutch Yellow® Potatoes are perfect quintessential ingredient for the holiday season, from Hanukkah to Christmas to even Passover, which we celebrated earlier this year with a beautiful DYPs® Kugel Gratin. For other delicious spud-worthy recipes, check out our 10 ways to Enjoy Melissa’s Potatoes story.
Potato Pancakes with Smoked Salmon
Yields: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 2 lbs of Baby Dutch Yellow® Potatoes
- 1/2 lb of smoked salmon, sliced
- 1 onion
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/2 cup of vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup of sour cream
- 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon of chopped dill
- 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
- Chopped dill for garnish
1. Prepare the potatoes. Use a food grater or food processor to shred the potatoes and onion. Move them over to a paper towel and squeeze out any excess liquid.
2. Mix together the potatoes and onion with the flour, egg, baking powder, salt and pepper.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the sour cream, lemon juice and dill. Set aside or chill in the refrigerator when ready to assemble the potato pancakes.
4. In a large skillet, heat up the vegetable oil over medium high heat. Drop about 2 tablespoons of the potato pancake batter onto the hot oil. Use a spatula to flatten batter into a pancake. Repeat the steps with more of the batter, but make sure none of the pancakes are touching.
5. Cook the pancakes for around 3 to 4 minutes on each side until the edges are browned. Remove from the heat and place onto paper towels to drain off any excess oil.
6. Repeat these steps until all of the potato pancakes are cooked.
7. Top the potato pancakes with a generous dollop of the sour cream and dill mixture. Then layer some smoked salmon on top. Garnish with chopped dill.