RFCJ RECIPE ARCHIVE
Posted by : Karen Selwyn Latkes: Joan Nathan's Suggestions
I was browsing on the internet this evening and I came across an interesting article which I have excerpted below. Karen Selwyn * * * * * * Source: "Luscious Latkes" Kathleen Purvis THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER (on-line edition), 12/16/97 There are a few tricks to making good potato latkes. Food processor vs. hand grating is always a big argument, although most people agree the difference is minor. The real key, says Nathan, is potato starch. You grate the potatoes, drain them into a bowl and pour off the water. The potato starch left in the bottom of the bowl is stirred back into the grated potatoes for texture and flavor. "That's the essence of potato," Nathan says. The concentrated starch gives a whomp of flavor. But one modern twist gets votes from everybody who cooks latkes: Yukon Gold potatoes. The buttery flavor lifts a latke past the ordinary. Russets, or baking potatoes, are a second choice. Never use red-skin potatoes, says Nathan. They're too gummy. Even with all the fancy latkes out there, Nathan sticks with potato. "I'm a purist," she says. "Everybody loves potatoes. I've never met anybody who didn't love potatoes. With all these different things, give me a good old potato latke."
