I love Hanukkah, but more than celebrating the holiday with friends and family, I relish the excuse to break out some oil and start frying.
These days, Hanukkah ends up being a fun, though harried, time of year – work parties, friend parties, and of course celebrations with both sides of the family. All those latkes and apple sauce, or latkes and brisket as my uncle likes to serve, can get a bit boring for all eight crazy nights.
So why not try a Hanukkah latke brunch? Get out the bloody mary mix, throw together a nice fruit salad, and serve up some latkes and eggs as a fun alternative to the traditional latke spread.
Here is my recipe for a Latkes Salmon Benedict, inspired by Essex House in New York City.
Ingredients
- 5 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
- 1 small onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 egg, beaten
- ½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- salt and pepper
- oil, for frying
- 12 eggs
- smoked salmon
Directions
- Put potatoes, onion and garlic cloves through a food processor in batches.
- In a large bowl, mix together grated potato and onion along with flour, egg, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Let the mixture sit for around 10 minutes, and then strain some of the excess liquid.
- In the meantime, heat a few Tbsp of oil on medium high heat in a large skillet. When oil is almost sizzling, put together latke patties, draining excess liquid once again, in your hand. Fry on each side until golden and crispy.
- Dust the hot latkes with just a sprinkling of salt while they are still hot. Let the latkes drain on a cooling rack or on plate with paper towel.
- When ready to serve, poach or fry eggs.
- On a serving plate arrange latkes topped with smoked salmon and eggs. Add dill for a festive garnish.
2 comments
Hanukkah
Pronounced: KHAH-nuh-kah, also ha-new-KAH, an eight-day festival commemorating the Maccabees’ victory over the Greeks and subsequent rededication of the temple. Falls in the Hebrew month of Kislev, which usually corresponds with December.
Can I omit the onion?
Yes, you can leave out the onions from this recipe.