Classic Latkes with Dilled Sour Cream, Lox & Chives

Happy Chanukah everyone! Today I’m sharing a recipe for my favorite classic latkes. These latkes are flavorful, super simple and have a crispy golden crust, just like I love them. They’re made with Yukon gold potatoes for a nice buttery flavor, and a little bit of egg, fresh black pepper and sea salt binds the mixture together, with minimum ingredients for optimal flavor.
With a classic latke as the base, I decided on unique, savory toppings for these latkes: lox, dilled sour cream, sauteed shallots, chives, and a sprinkling of sel gris for crunchy texture. The shallot gives it a little sweet touch, the chives are refreshingly crisp, and the latkes are almost reminiscent of a classic brunch sandwich (go ahead! add a fried egg!) minus the bagel. These latkes are a delicious accompaniment to any meal, and a beautiful appetizer as well. Don’t forget to serve with doughnuts!
xx, Chaya

Yield: 20 latkes

Why I love this recipe: draining all the liquid + cooking in smoking hot oil results in a super crispy latke. The latke itself is simple and classic, relying on potatoes only for starch, and Yukon golds lend a nice buttery flavor. 

• 5 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• 2 small eggs
• olive oil, for frying
• a few sprigs fresh dill
• fresh chives
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• lox
• 1 small shallot
• sel gris

1. Peel all the potatoes. Grate them. Combine with eggs, salt and pepper.
2. Lay down a clean tea towel and dump the potato mixture onto the towel. Gathering the corners of the towel, make a pouch, squeezing and twisting out as much liquid as possible from the potatoes.
3. Put the squeezed out potato mixture in a bowl. Pour 1/4 inch of olive oil into a large, heavy skillet. Over medium-high heat, heat oil until almost smoking. Form round patties and place in the oil, 3 at a time.
4. With your spatula, gently flatten each round patty into a flat, but still rounded disk.
5. Dot not flip until the first 3-5 minutes, letting a crispy, golden brown crust form on the bottom. Once 3-5 minutes are up, flip latkes and continue frying until both sides are well browned, another 3-5 minutes. Using a spatula, transfer latkes to the paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Blot any excess oil with additional paper towels. Continue until all the latke batter is used up.
6. After the last batch is done, slice a small shallot and saute in the leftover oil. Remove when done.
7. Arrange latkes nicely on a platter. Mix fresh dill with sour cream. Top each latke with a little lox, then a small dollop of sour cream.
8. Top the sour cream with a piece of sauteed shallot and with two pieces of chive. Sprinkle lightly with sel gris.
9. Serve hot, with extra sour cream. Enjoy!