Hanukkah Potato Pancakes with Home Made Apple Sauce

As we are in the middle of Hanukkah, I wanted to say Happy Holidays to all who are celebrating. Here are a few of my favorite Hanukkah recipes!

Leslie's Potato Pancakes

2 lb russet potatoes (scrubbed well or peeled)

1 medium onion

2 tbs. all purpose flour or matzoh meal or gluten-free flour

1 - 2 eggs, lightly beaten (use 1 if you like thinner pancakes and 2 if you like them fluffier)

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. garlic powder (optional)

1/2 - 1 tsp. fresh ground pepper

1/4 tsp. smoked paprika (optional)

About 1/4 cup olive or canola oil for frying

Using the largest holes on a box grate, grate the potatoes into a bowl, then transfer to a colander or onto a dishtowel or cheesecloth. Let them drain well until all the moisture is gone. Place the potato shreds back into the bowl and grate the onion into it. Mix well. Add all seasonings and egg(s) and mix to combine. Heat oil in a deep-sided frying pan over medium-high heat. I find it handy to use a 1/3 measuring cup to scoop out portions of mix and plop them gently in the pan.

Use a spoon or the bottom of the measuring cup to flatten to your desired thickness. Fry until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Can be kept warm on a sheet pan in a 225 degree oven before serving. Serve with apple sauce and sour cream - or creme fraiche for a gourmet twist.

*For a southwestern style pancake - add 1/2 tsp. cumin and 2 tbs. fresh chopped cilantro instead of the smoked paprika.

Zucchini-Potato Pancakes

Use 2 medium zucchini, grated and drained very well and 1 russet potato. Follow the rest of the recipe above.

Short Cut Potato Pancakes

I discovered, by experimenting, that using defrosted Alexia brand hashed browns (or your preferred brand - I personally like Alexia because it's organic) yields delicious potato pancakes! In fact, they taste just as good as if you'd grated the potatoes yourself. Here's how to use them:

1. Defrost hashed browns a few hours to one day ahead. Mine didn't need any draining, but if yours become too damp, let them drain on a paper towel before cooking.

2. Dump the whole bag of potatoes into a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. You can taste the hashed browns and see if they are already seasoned to your liking, but I personally added the same amount of seasonings as mentioned above. The smoked paprika was a wonderful accent. 

* I didn't try making the zucchini pancakes with the Alexia hashed browns, but I am sure it would turn out well, so I encourage you to experiment.

Sweet Potato Pancakes

2 -3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and grated

1 medium onion

2 tbs. all purpose flour or matzoh meal or gluten-free flour

1 - 2 eggs, lightly beaten (use 1 if you like thinner pancakes and 2 if you like them fluffier)

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. garlic powder (optional)

1/2 - 1 tsp. fresh ground pepper

1 tsp. cinnamon and 1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg OR 1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Pinch of cayenne pepper (if you want a hint of spice)

About 1/4 - 1/3 cup olive or canola oil for frying

Follow the cooking method above.

For an Island-style twist, eliminate the pumpkin pie spice/cinnamon and nutmeg and replace with 1/2 tsp - 1 tsp. curry powder.

Quickie Home Made Apple Sauce

3-4 medium/large apples (any sweet-tart firm apple will do, I used a mix of Honeycrisp and Pink Lady)

1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar or honey (depending how sweet you like it - you can leave this out completely for a tart sauce)

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 - 1 1/2 cups water OR apple juice OR apple cider

Peel, core, and chop apples into small chunks. In a saute pan over medium-high heat, add apples, water/juice, sugar/honey, and cinnamon. Cook until apples are fork-tender, about 10 minutes. If all the liquid in the pan is absorbed before the apple are cooked, add more water or juice. Transfer apple mixture to food processor or blender and puree until smooth. If you like chunky apple sauce, reserve a couple pieces of cooked apple and add them back after the rest is pureed. Place in the refrigerator to cool. Tastes delicious over potato pancakes!