Apple Latkes with Smoky Sour Cream

Apple Latkes with Smoky Sour Cream

‘Twas two days before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. But enough about all that, because in case you’ve forgotten, it’s also the second night of Hanukkah. (I gave up on rhyming real fast.) Which means the time is ripe for my personal favorite holiday food – latkes.

If you’ve been reading along for a while, you know that in addition to loving a classical latke, I like to experiment with them. Last year I forced my husband Ben to make kimchi latkes, which were pretty bomb. This year, I decided to go with apple latkes with a nice smoky sour cream. In my humble opinion, latkes are best with both sour cream and applesauce. So I figured why not cut to the chase and throw some grated apples directly into the latkes?! The result was understated, but thoroughly delicious and I’m so excited to share it with you! (Though it’s worth noting that if you want a stronger apple flavor you can and should grate some fresh apple onto your latkes and sour cream. I tried it both ways, and they’re both great!)

Print

Apple Latkes with Smoky Sour Cream

Servings 16 latkes

Ingredients

  • 4 large russet potatoes
  • 2 small yellow onions
  • 1-2 apples (I used Honeycrisp)
  • 5 eggs
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 6 tbsp flour
  • 2+ cups Oil with a high smoke point (like grapeseed, canola, or avocado)
  • 1/2 tsp Liquid smoke
  • 1 cup Sour cream
  • A pinch Smoked flaky sea salt (I like Maldon!)

Instructions

  • Peel and grate potatoes using the largest holes of a box grater. After grating, rinse the potatoes with cold water to remove excess starch. Also peel and grate the apples and add them to your potato pile. Squeeze with a towel to remove extra moisture and transfer to a large bowl.
  • Peel your onions, then grate them into the bowl with the potatoes and apples. Use a finer grate for the onions. I add mine super finely shredded – essentially as an onion paste.
  • Add the eggs, salt, pepper, flour, paprika and cinnamon to the mix. Stir together. You want a wet mix, but not too liquidy. If things start to look soupy, add a bit more flour (one tablespoon at a time).
  • Heat 1/2 cup of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add a quarter cup of latke mix at a time and let each latke fry for about four minutes on each side. You want a nice, light brown color. Be sure not to crowd the pan – you should be able to fit 2-4 in at once, but will definitely need to do a few different batches. If your first couple of batches have trouble sticking together, add another egg to the mix, which should help bind them. You'll also probably need to add more oil to the pan to get through all your latke mix. Don't worry – that's totally normal.
  • Once each latke is done, transfer it to a paper town lined plate to sop up the excess oil.
  • Now whisk together the liquid smoke, sour cream, and smoky sea salt.
  • Now time to eat! Add a dollop of smoky sour cream to each plate of latkes. If you want a bit of extra apple-y flavor, grate some apple on top.

If you make these, let me know either in the comments or on Instagram! I was beyond happy with how these turned out, so I hope you love them as much as I did. Happy Hanukkah, friends!

2 thoughts on “Apple Latkes with Smoky Sour Cream”

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating