I’m often asked how I come up with recipes, and what I do when I run out of inspiration. Whenever I need some fresh ideas my first source is always my family. And more often than not, it’s my soon to be sister-in-law, Lyndsie. She’s traveled the world and experienced so many different cultures and foods. Lynds is full of ideas. She prefers veggies, soups, and sides, and is oddly a big fan of lamb. She’s currently begging me to do some kind of holiday lamb roast, but I’m hesitant. What do you guys think? I was talking to Lynds the other day and she insisted that I needed to make latkes. She was truly appalled that I didn’t have a good latke recipe on HBH already. Honestly, I had other plans for today’s post. But the idea of latkes excited me so much that I decided to rearrange. So, today we’re talking latkes! I’m very, very excited, and could hardly wait to share this recipe with you. It truly is SO GOOD and great for both Hanukkah (which is very traditional) and Christmas entertaining. There’s a lot of different versions of potato latkes out in this world. But after researching, I decided I wanted to do something herby and cheesy. No surprise there, I know. Hey, sometimes you just shouldn’t mess with a good thing. My favorite way to do potatoes is with herbs, cheese, and a little sea salt. If you’ve never made a latke, prepare yourself, they’re EASY! I was actually shocked with how quickly and painlessly these came together. You’ll need to have grated potatoes, I like to use a box grater for this step. The batter is a simple mix of shredded potatoes, onion, bread crumbs, eggs, cheese, and herbs. All of which are ingredients you should keep on hand at all times, especially during the holidays. Mix the potato mixture up and then pan fry in a little olive oil. Pan frying in oil is what gives the latkes that extra crisp outside. And? Because we’re adding cheese, these latkes have a nice soft, cheesy (and herby) center. My personal favorite way to enjoy these is right off the skillet, while they’re still extra crisp. I sprinkle them with some fresh chives and my favorite flaky sea salt…one of the best indulgences there is. Think about it. Crisp on the outside, cheesy on the inside, filled with delicious fresh herbs, and perfectly salted to your taste. Melt in your mouth GOOD! And one of those foods that will always excite you. Of course, if you prefer, you can also enjoy these the more traditional way. With either applesauce (Lyndsie’s personal favorite), or Greek yogurt/sour cream (my mom and dad’s personal favorite). If you’d like to make these for your next holiday party, you can easily make them in advance and just rewarm the latkes in the oven before serving. They won’t be quite as crisp as they are right out of the skillet, but still delicious, and oh so flavorful. Honestly, if there was one potato dish to make this week, it’s these latkes. For the longest time I never really wanted to mess around with a latke recipe. But after making this recipe, it’s safe to say that I finally see what all the fuss is about. Guys, latkes are the best! And yes, I even like them served with applesauce…although at first, I thought that sounded incredibly odd. It’s true what they say, don’t knock it till you try it! It’s also true that these will become a new holiday tradition for my family. I already know that Lyndsie will be demanding we make a few batches for our family Christmas dinner. We better get an assembly line going… That would sure make for a great Gerard family photo. Last time I had the brothers in the kitchen, Red rolled out pie dough… and then put it right back in the mixing bowl because he thought that was a pie plate. Yikes. If you make these latkes, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
