The Unexpected Trick That Makes the Crispiest, Tastiest Latkes Ever

With Hanukkah in its full swing, many a household is frying up some latkes. In the years of trying to get my hands on every latke recipe I could find, I've learned a few reliable techniques that turn out lacy, crispy, delectable latkes each and every time. And I'm here to show you how to get the same results in your own kitchen!

The Key: Starch Content
Use starchy potatoes like Russets: the starchier the potato, the crispier the latke. This is where Red Bliss potatoes, with their high moisture content, will most certainly disappoint. In my extensive latke research (read: What's the best thing about a good latke?), everyone selected crispiness as their number one desired latke quality.

The Method: Hand-Grating
Hand-grating (as opposed to using a food processor) on the coarse side of a grater works best. Honestly, I can't really tell you why, except that I found the strands from the food processor to be slightly too long and sometimes would get tangled up, resulting in a thickish latke middle.

For those who might think hand-grating is the pits: It took me less than a minute to grate one large potato. You can wear a Microplane glove and protect your hand, and the whole grating process will go very quickly. You can, of course, still use the grater blade of your food processor if you really dislike grating by hand or if you are feeding a lot of people.

The Trick! Lower the Water Content While Preserving the Starch
As you grate your potatoes, let them drop into a large bowl of ice water. Make sure there's enough ice in the water to keep from melting entirely for up to half an hour.

When you're finished grating, using your hands, remove the potatoes from the ice water (it helps if you're wearing thin latex gloves, otherwise the cold water really stings your hands) and squeeze them out over the bowl of water. Place the grated potatoes into a large colander lined with a kitchen towel. Gather the edges of the towel together and wring the potatoes (over the bowl of ice water) as much as possible. Set the potatoes aside and let the bowl of ice water stand, undisturbed, for about 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, the starch will accumulate at the bottom of the bowl and form a dense, white layer. Carefully, as not to pour off the starch, pour the water out until you are left with the starchy layer on the bottom. Using a spatula, transfer the remaining starch to the grated potatoes and combine. Proceed mixing your latkes as usual.

Why It Works
This method is different than just grating the potatoes and squeezing them in a towel, because that way a lot of starch gets lost in the water you squeeze out. Here's what you're doing here: letting the starch settle at the bottom of the bowl while squeezing out the water from the potatoes, then adding that starch back in. You've lowered the moisture level of the potatoes while preserving their full amount of starch and thus rewarding yourself with a crispier latke!

Have you ever tried this method? Do you have another way of making super-crispy latkes?

Related: Make Better Latkes: 3 Indispensable Tips

(Images: Olga Massov of Sassy Radish)

---

Vegetarian Recipes - 101 Cookbooks Looking for great vegetarian recipes? These are the best vegetarian recipes from the award-winning 101 Cookbooks recipe journal. Recipes Recipes: Wondering whats for breakfast, lunch, or dinner? Need a side dish or appetizer to serve with your favorite recipe? Find healthy recipes, cooking tips and ... Black Sticky Gingerbread Recipe - 101 Cookbooks This black sticky gingerbread recipe makes an outrageously dark, dense, flavorful and delicious cake. The burnt-caramel-esque crust that forms on the top of the cake ... Roasting a turkey breast without drying it out? - Home Cooking ... I'm craving roast turkey, but don't want to do a whole bird. How do you cook just the breast (skin on, bone in) without it getting dried out? Eating Well - Make Healthy Food Choices - Oprah.com Learn how to eat well, eat sanely and eat happily by rethinking your relationship with food. The Best Pasta Sauce Ever Chew On That Do me a favor: MAKE THIS PASTA SAUCE FOR DINNER TONIGHT! I think youll thank me. Its absolutely, positively, hands down, 100% the best pasta sauce I have ever ... Recipes Chew On That Appetizers and Snacks Devilish Deviled Eggs Easy Pumpkin Seeds Garlic Crostini Mozzarella Skewers Sweet n' Sour Hawaiian Meatballs The Best Apple Pie Recipe - Allrecipes.com An alcohol-infused hot apple cider including both apple juice and apple cider, sugar, cinnamon sticks and alcohol - for a large group of party-goers. Food & Drink - How To Information eHow.com When it comes to backyard barbecues, there's nothing a like hot juicy burger right off the grill. We've all had the classic with lettuce and tomato, but have you ever ... Asian Dumpling Tips: Gluten Free Recipes Dumplings are humble and homey. They make people smile. I have loved them since childhood, and this site focuses on cooking and finding the tastiest morsels.

The Unexpected Secret to the Best Cinnamon Rolls Ever

On preparing to attend a chili cook-off last weekend, I simply wasn't feeling the competitive spirit. What I was feeling was a hankering for some warm, cloud-like cinnamon rolls. So, instead of bringing a pot of chili, I opted to bring cinnamon rolls as a dessert for after the competition was over. And while I wasn't competing, these big boys took the cake (so to speak) with one secret ingredient: potatoes!

Partygoers looked at me funny when they told me the rolls were moist and I told them there were potatoes in them. It's something I encountered years ago on a cinnamon-roll-baking kick, but then forgot about until this weekend's party. But when I started imagining soft, gooey cinnamon rolls chasing bowlsful of scrumptious chili it all came back to me: potatoes soak up more moisture than wheat flour alone and adding them to a whole array of baked goods from cakes to rolls makes for superior softness (think potato bread).

In my search for more info about potatoes in cinnamon rolls, I came across this article and recipe at Slate: You're Doing It Wrong: Cinnamon Rolls

The recipe I followed last weekend: Yukon Gold Cinnamon Rolls from Bon Appetit

Do you ever use potatoes or potato flakes in your baking?

Related: Four Reasons Why Potato Buns Rule

(Image: Regina Yunghans)

---

Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls Recipe - Food.com - 76864 These are THE BEST cinnamon rolls! The recipe is from Todd Wilbur's More Top Secret Recipes. They're oooey, goooey and rich! The dough can easily be prepared in your ... The Secret State: MI5 (Home Office/MoD), The Security Service and ... WWIII NATO HumanGM NLWeapons Kissinger MI5+6 Echelon Caprim Fascism, state terror and power abuse This web-page is dedicated to all those working in ... RickRoll'D - YouTube http://www.facebook.com/rickroll548 Ask me a question on Reddit. I'll answer it. Or I'll rickroll you. 50/50 shot. http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments ... Your Secret Chili Ingredients Unveiled: BA Daily: bonappetit.com Chili is a deeply personal dish, both for the person cooking it and the lucky people eating it. Every connoisseur has his or her own version of the "best chili ever ... Secrets of the Stradivarius - Skeptoid: Critical Analysis Podcast What is the secret of the incomparable sound of history's greatest stringed instrument, the Stradivarius violin? Top With Cinnamon An awesome teenage baking blog with recipes, food photography and food styling Books--Joanne Fluke, the Hannah Swensen mysteries Home About Joanne Books. What's Next Reviews Recipe Interview Signings Photos Moishe & Friends Hannah Translated Recipe Index Cinnamon Roll Murder K&K Test Kitchen: Easy Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Cream ... I had full intentions to actually make cinnamon rolls from scratch, with yeast and rising time and everything, but then the internet saved me and delivered this ... Cinnamon Roll Almond Flour Donuts - Roost - Roost: A Simple Life This morning I woke to the cheerful tenor of a young sparrow. Whole heartedly it sang, the staccato of notes pirouetted through the air and into my bedroom. Cinnamon Roll Murder (Hannah Swensen, 15) by Joanne Fluke ... Cinnamon Roll Murder has 1,567 ratings and 284 reviews. Nancy said: Good story. Keeps your interest. Too bad the recipes look too complicated -- they sou...

Winter Casserole Recipe: Shepherd's Pie Recipes from The Kitchn

When the temperature takes a permanent nosedive and fall is starting to look a lot more like winter, shepherd's pie is one of the first things that I crave. One enormous square of this casserole, with its blanket of mashed potatoes and that savory meat-and-vegetable filling, sends a sigh of contentment through my whole body. One casserole makes more than enough for my household of two, so I can look forward to comfort meals all week long.

This is one of those classic comfort dishes that has endless numbers of variations. Make it with beef or lamb, or both. Or substitute the meat with quinoa and lentils for an equally-hearty vegetarian version.

I also love this particular combination of vegetables in the filling, but you can use whatever bits you have in your fridge. Leftover roasted squash, a half-cup of beans, tiny cauliflower florets, edamame, or even something like sauted cabbage would serve you well here. I also love Kathryn's suggestions of adding rutabaga or parsnips to the mashed potatoes!

Messing up this dish is extremely hard to do, no matter what you throw at it. If ever in doubt, sprinkle another handful of cheese to the top and call everyone to the table for dinner.

Simple Shepherd's Pie

Serves 8-10

2 pounds (about 3 large) russet potatoes
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup milk or cream
1 - 1 1/2 pounds ground beef, lamb, or a combination
1 yellow onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 cup shredded cheese (optional)

Heat the oven to 375F. Set a 9x13 baking dish nearby. (You can use an 8x8 pan if you prefer thicker layers.)

Peel the potatoes and chop them into large pieces. In a medium pan, cover them with an inch or two of cold water. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 18-20 minutes, until the potatoes are completely tender.

Drain the potatoes and mash them thoroughly with a potato masher or a fork until no lumps remain. While the potatoes are still hot, mix in the butter, milk, and a half teaspoon of salt. Taste the potatoes and add additional butter, milk, and salt to taste. Set the mashed potatoes aside until ready to be used.

While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the filling. Set a skillet over medium-high heat and add just enough vegetable oil to film the bottom of the pan. When the pan is hot, add the ground beef or lamb. Break the meat apart with a spatula and stir occasionally until all the meat is crumbled and browned all the way through. Transfer the ground meat to a separate dish. Pour off all about a few teaspoons of the fat.

With the pan still over medium-high heat, cook the onions with 1/2 teaspoon of salt until they have softened and turned translucent, 6-8 minutes. Add the carrots and celery with another 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and cook until all the vegetables are tender, another 8-10 minutes. Stir in the peas, corn, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and the reserved ground meat. Cook until the peas and corn are warmed through. Taste and add more Worcestershire sauce or salt as desired.

Transfer the cooked meat and vegetables into the casserole dish. Drop spoonfuls of mashed potatoes evenly over the surface, and then use a spatula to smooth the potatoes into an even layer. Create little peaks with the tip of the spatula or a fork if crispy edges are desired.

Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes. If adding cheese, sprinkle it over the top of the casserole in the last few minutes of cooking. For an extra-crispy top, run the casserole under the broiler for 2-3 minutes before serving.

Leftovers will keep for up to a week, refrigerated.

Additional Notes:

If you like an extra-thick layer of potatoes, either double the amount of potatoes in this recipe or cook this casserole in a smaller baking dish.

Related: How to Make (And Freeze!) Individual Chicken Pot Pies

(Image: Emma Christensen)

---

30 Minute Shepherd's Pie Recipe : Rachael Ray : Recipes : Food Network 40 min; 2 pounds potatoes, such as russet, peeled and cubed; 2 tablespoons sour cream or softened cream cheese; 1 large egg yolk; 1/2 cup cream, for a lighter version ... Shepherd's Pie Recipe - Tom Aikens Food & Wine This pairing of chopped lamb with a mashed-potato topping is one of the most beloved British classics. Chef Tom Aikens infuses milk and cream with fresh herbs before ... Recipe Explorer - Recipes, Kitchen Tips, Cooking Experts, Menu ... The Recipe Explorer at CDKitchen lets you find any recipe imaginable. Dinner courses, chicken recipes, healthy cooking and more is at your fingertips in our new ... Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie Recipe Taste of Home Recipes Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie Recipe Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie Recipe photo by Taste of Home. Read reviews (6) Rate recipe. As a child, shepherd's pie was one of my ... Casserole Recipes Simply Recipes With apple season in full swing, and cooler weather on the way, here's a casserole pie that combines sweet Italian sausage with Granny Smith apples, and a mix of cheeses. Shepherd's Pie Casserole Recipe Taste of Home Recipes Shepherd's Pie Casserole Recipe Shepherd's Pie Casserole Recipe photo by Taste of Home. Read reviews (4) Rate recipe. Meet the Cook: As the second oldest of eight ... Easy Shepherd's Pie Recipe Simply Recipes American favorite shepherd's pie recipe, casserole with ground beef, vegetables such as carrots, corn, and peas, topped with mashed potatoes. Shepherds Pie Tasty Kitchen: A Happy Recipe Community! Cilantro Cream Sauce. by Meredith In Sock Monkey Slippers Cinantro Cream Sauce is a delicious tangy, spicy, and refreshing sauce perfect for meats, fish, and ... Shepherd's Pie Recipe : Paula Deen : Recipes : Food Network 1 hr 15 min; 1 small onion; 1 1/2 pounds ground beef; 2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce; 1 1/2 cups mixed vegetables or niblet corn, prepared; Salt and freshly ground ... Shepherd's Pie Recipe or Cottage Pie - Casseroles, Chicken Dishes ... Shepherd's pie is baked with a mashed potato topping and made with ground beef. Scroll down for more shepherd's Pie Recipes, or cottage pie, made with ground beef.