Giant Potato Latke: One Big, Party-Pleasing Skillet Latke

A giant, oven-baked potato latke—crispy and golden on the outside with a tender, creamy center. A simple skillet-baked twist on the classic, made to slice and share.

Better late than neveris what a I keep telling myself as I share a latke recipe on the very last day of Hanukkah. It’s a recipe of latke hacks. No shredding by hand, no squeezing moisture out with a towel, and no sweating of the stove for hours trying to flip those latkes over. Ya know ya want it, even if you’ll only be making it post Hanukkah…personally, I love latkes and am zero convinced that we shall only eat them 8 days a year.

This was my shoot from Hannukah 2018! Reshoot it this year.

Why this Recipe Works

• Shredding potatoes in a food processor saves time and creates large, firm shreds of potato, making a heftier latke with nice lacy edges.
• Squeezing excess moisture out with a salad spinner also saves time and elbow grease and helps produce extra crispy latkes. This hack will be a latke game changer for ya!
• Starting on the stove top, then moving to the oven and lastly the broiler means the latkes gets perfectly crispy on both sides without the hassle of flipping it over.
• Adding scallions and Parmesan to the latke batter adds flavor and texture.
• Frying in a cast iron pan results in a deeper, more burnished crust and requires less adjustment of the flame due to cast iron’s superior heat retention.

The 3 Main Elements of a Latke are: potato, onion and a binder.

For the potato: Russet is all ya need. They brown the best and produce tender interiors, cause of their high starch content

For the onions: we use yellow. They have some seriously funky allium flavor to jazz up the mild potatoes.

For the binder: we use eggs. They add wholesome flavor and fat and bind all the ingredients of different shapes and sizes together.

How to Make this Recipe:

• The potatoes and onions are shredded with the grating disk of a food processor.
• The potato and onions shreds are squeezed of excess moisture but drying in a salad spinner.
• The potato and onions are mixed with the rest of the ingredients, and the batter is poured onto shimmering oil in a cast iron skillet.
• The skillet is transferred to the oven and baked then finished under the broiler for a crispy, browned top.
• All sorts of toppings can be added and the latke is enjoyed.

Please enjoy these in process shots for easy cooking!

For some untraditional but very delicious topping ideas, check out my sumac yogurt with sautéed garlic and shredded parmesan... yum!

Cooks Tips

• It is crucial to squeeze out the excess moisture from the potatoes and onions to get crispy latkes.
• If you own a cast iron skillet, now is the time to use it! If you don’t, be sure to use a oven safe pan.
• Experiment with all sorts of sweet and savory toppings! 
• Sub full fat fat greek yogurt for the traditional sour cream. It's tastier and healthier!

Are the latke hacks a game changer for ya?! I’m drooling just thinking about these deeply browned crispy crusts!

 

More Potato Recipes?

Looking for more  potato recipes? Especially purple ones - the antioxidant-rich members of the potato family. Sweet potatoes included. 

• No-Mayo Potato Salad - A bright, herbaceous potato salad tossed in smoky paprika vinaigrette.
• Smashed Potatoes - boiled, flattened, then roasted until golden brown and ultra crispy – the best of all potato worlds.
• Hasselback Potato Gratin - The best of creamy potato gratin and crispy hasselback potatoes in one epic mash-up.
• Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries - Extremely crispy oven-baked sweet potato fries served with spicy chipotle aioli.
• Purple Sweet Potato Pie - A vibrant purple twist on classic Southern sweet potato pie with gingersnap crust and pecan streusel.
• Sweet Potato Salad with Feta & Lime Vinaigrette - A colorful sweet potato salad with feta and a bright maple-lime vinaigrette.

If you tried this recipe, I'd love to hear about it — leave a comment below and let me know, and tag me on IG, @danielagerson, so I can see too!

If you enjoyed this recipe, explore more seasonal recipes and colorful produce guides here on the site — there’s plenty more inspiration waiting for you.

Let’s make waves in the kitchen.