Latke Hacks for Picky Eaters

GOLDA gang, Hanukkah means latkes.

But these days, just about all of us have someone in our orbit with a dietary restriction (or two). When it comes to the question of how to make potato pancakes that our gluten free or vegan friends will still be able to enjoy, there’s no one I trust more than Micah Siva, author of Nosh: Plant-Forward Recipes Celebrating Modern Jewish Cuisine. Micah shares fun and thoughtful recipes on Instagram on her Substack, Little Bites (including some Hanukkah offerings like Gluten Free Baked Donuts with Jelly Glaze, Vegan Jelly Donut Sandwich Cookies, and Cauliflower Latkes).

I asked Micah the best ways to accommodate the various dietary needs of all our guests this Hanukkah. Here’s her advice:

If you are having guests over, chances are they'll come with a laundry list of things they can or can't eat. And as a host, it can be stressful, anxiety inducing, and a little extra work. I've spent my career trying to make my holiday tables as accessible as possible, and see every allergy and intolerance as an opportunity for creativity and thinking outside of the box. 

Let me help you navigate adapting latkes to just about any need.

Gluten free: 

I started to make all latkes gluten free as my default when I discovered that white rice flour made the crispiest latkes. Simply substitute any flour or matzo meal for rice flour and you'll never look back. If you are making both GF and standard latkes, be sure to fry in separate pans to avoid cross contamination. You can use gluten free flour, but I prefer rice.

Vegan:

My cookbook, Nosh, has a recipe for vegan latkes that uses a flax egg—but instead of wringing out any potato liquid, you keep it in in place of adding water to the flax. The flax will soak it up for perfectly crispy latkes. If you have access, you can also just sub an egg replacer, like 'Just egg" in place of your eggs.

Picky Eaters: 

When it comes to holidays, I'm a parent that is very much "whatever happens happens". I serve latkes with ketchup, alongside frozen dinosaur chicken nuggets because I want to enjoy the holiday too. If all my son eats is sufganiyot... so be it. MOST kids will enjoy a latke, but buy a bag of tater tots just in case.

Onion-Free: 

For an IBS friendly latke, simply omit the onions - if your guests can eat green onions, add 1/2 cup chopped scallions to your latke mix for every 4-ish pounds of potatoes.

Thanks, Micah! Follow along with Micah Siva on Instagram, subscribe to her Substack, and get her cookbook Nosh.

Last Hanukkah, for my second-ever GOLDA newsletter, I called up my favorite chefs and Jewish food personalities to get their latke secrets. Here are a few of those gems, just as relevant in 5786: 

“The secret is squeezing out all the liquid from your shredded potatoes but saving that potato juice. After a few minutes, when you pour it off, you’ll find a secret stash of potato starch—which helps get you extra crispy latkes.” 

–Jake Cohen, author of the cookbooks Jew-ish, I Could Nosh, and Dinner Party Animal

“The shred/grate binary for potatoes is outdated. Grate and shred your potatoes for a latke with some texture that also holds together well. Fry with enough oil. If you have avocado or peanut oil, or goose or duck fat, your latkes will be especially tasty. Mix flavorful things in, like quality breadcrumbs (challah, rye, etc.) instead of boring old matzo meal. Mix in lots of herbs and green alliums like dill, parsley, chives, scallions, etc. in addition to onions.” 

–Jeffrey Yoskowitz, co-founder of The Gefilteria

“If you like really crispy latkes, use russet or Idaho potatoes. If you like a lusher, more velvety latke, use a waxier potato like a Yukon gold.” 

–Adeena Sussman, author of the cookbooks Shabbat, Sababa, and the forthcoming Zariz.

And finally, I headed to Havurah’s Hanukkah market to answer to the age-old question: sour cream or applesauce?

Stay GOLDA,

Stephanie