Ingredients
| Ingredient | English | 1x | 2x | 3x | 4x |
|---|
| Russet potatoes | 2.5 lbs | 1.13 kg | 2.27 kg | 3.4 kg | 4.54 kg |
| Sweet onion | 1 large | 250 g | 500 g | 750 g | 1 kg |
| Eggs, slightly beatenapprox. 50g each | 2 large | 100 g | 200 g | 300 g | 400 g |
| All-purpose flour | 1/4 cup | 30 g | 60 g | 90 g | 120 g |
| Cornstarch | 2 tbsp | 16 g | 32 g | 48 g | 64 g |
| Salt | 2 tsp | 12 g | 24 g | 36 g | 48 g |
| Baking powder | 1 tsp | 4 g | 8 g | 12 g | 16 g |
| Black pepper, freshly ground | 1/2 tsp | 1 g | 2 g | 3 g | 4 g |
| Peanut oil, for frying | as needed | — | — | — | — |
Pantry swaps
| Original | Swap1 | Swap2 | Swap3 | Swap4 |
|---|
| Sweet onion | 1 tablespoon dried minced onion | 1 teaspoon onion powder | 1/4 cup frozen chopped onion | |
| — | — | — | — | |
| All-purpose flour | 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons cake flour (not advised for cookies or quick breads) | 1 cup self-rising flour (omit baking powder and salt from recipe)Reader suggestion:\xa05/8 cup potato flour | 1–1/4 cups rye flour or coarsely ground whole-grain flour | 1 cup cornmeal |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.25 | 1 |
| Baking powder | 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch plus 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar | | | |
| 1 | 0.25 | | | |
Source: ThatDudeCanCook, YouTube. The cornstarch alongside the flour is the key to achieving a shatteringly crisp crust. The baking powder adds a slight lift that keeps the interior light rather than dense.
Instructions
- Grate the potatoes and onion on the large holes of a box grater (or pulse in a food processor with a grating disc). Work quickly – the potatoes oxidize fast.
- Transfer the grated mixture to a clean kitchen towel or several layers of cheesecloth. Wring out as much liquid as possible. This is the most important step for crispiness.
- In a large bowl, combine the drained potato-onion mixture with the beaten eggs, flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder, and pepper. Mix until just combined.
- Pour about 6 mm (1/4 inch) of peanut oil into a large heavy skillet (cast iron is ideal) and heat over medium-high until shimmering, around 175 C (350 F).
- Working in batches, drop about 3 tablespoons of batter per latke into the oil and flatten slightly with the back of a spoon. Do not crowd the pan. Fry undisturbed until deep golden-brown on the bottom, 3-4 minutes, then flip and fry the second side, 2-3 minutes more.
- Transfer to a wire rack set over a baking sheet to drain. Season immediately with a pinch of salt. Do not stack – stacking steams them and kills the crust.
- Keep finished latkes warm in a 95 C (200 F) oven while frying the remaining batches. Serve with sour cream or applesauce.