Latke Double Down

Total Time: 25 mins Preparation Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 1 lb potato
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon flour (optional) or 1 tablespoon matzo meal (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• fresh ground pepper
• grapeseed olives or peanut oil
• lox or smoked salmon
• sour cream
• chives or green onion, chopped
• chopped lettuce (optional)

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 250°f.
• 2 peel potatoes and coarsely grate, directly into a large bowl of cold water.
• 3 soak potatoes 1 to 2 minutes after last batch is added to water, then drain well in a colander.
• 4 spread grated potatoes, garlic and onion on a kitchen towel, roll up and wring out as much liquid as possible.
• 5 transfer potato mixture to a bowl and stir in egg and salt. if it’s too runny add a little flour or matzo meal. too dry add a little bit more egg.
• 6 heat a large skillet. add enough oil to cover the bottom plus a bit more. get the oil hot but not smoking. use a spoon to potato mixture into skillet, spreading with the back of the spoon into 3 or 4-inch rounds.
• 7 reduce heat to moderate and cook until undersides are very well browned, about 5 minutes. turn latkes over and cook until undersides are very well browned, about 5 minutes more. you want walnut brown, not beige.
• 8 transfer to paper towels to drain and season with salt. add more oil to skillet as needed.
• 9 keep latkes warm on a wire rack set in a shallow baking pan in oven.
• 10 to make the double down, spread crème fraiche on one side of a latke, pile on lox and onions, spread some crème fraiche on another latke, then make into a sandwich.