Japanese Sweet Potato Latkes by Chef Leonard Goodloe
Ingredients:
- 1 pound of white or purple Japanese sweet potatoes (About 3)
- ½ cup of finely chopped green onions
- 2 tablespoons of potato starch Or cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup of Grape Seed Oil
Equipment:
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Knife and cutting board
- Food processor with shredding blade
- Cheesecloth or clean, thin kitchen towel
- Wooden spoon
- Mixing bowl
- 10- to 12-inch cast iron skillet
- Fish spatula
Preparation
- Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 200°F.
- Line 1 rimmed baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels. Fit a wire cooling rack into another baking sheet. Set both aside.
- Prepare the potatoes. Scrub the potatoes well, but do not peel. Cut each potato in half (crosswise).
- Grate the potatoes and onion using the shredding disk of a food processor or a box grater (coarse side). Place in a large bowl and add salt. Mix well. Cover with a towel & let sit for 10 minutes
- Make a cheesecloth tourniquet and squeeze liquid from the potato. Transfer the grated potato onto a large triple layer of cheesecloth. Gather the corners and tie around the handle of a wooden spoon. Dangle the bundle over a large bowl, then twist and squeeze the potatoes and onion as hard as you can until no more liquid comes out of the potato shreds.
- Pour off the liquid, but keep the potato starch. Give the liquid a few minutes to allow the potato starch to settle and then pour off and discard the liquid but leave the potato starch.
- Toss the latke ingredients together with your fingers. Add the potatoes, green onion, salt, and pepper to the bowl of starch. Mix with your fingers, making sure that the potato starch breaks up and is evenly distributed with the rest of the ingredients. Set batter aside for 10 minutes.
- Heat the oil. Place the oil in a large skillet so that when melted there is a depth of ¼ of an inch. Heat over medium-high heat until a piece of the latke mixture sizzles immediately.
- Form latkes one at a time. Scoop tablespoon of the mixture onto a fish or flat spatula. Flatten with your fingers to form a 2-inch patty.
- Fry the latkes until golden on both sides. Slide the latke into the hot oil, using a fork to nudge the latke into the pan. Repeat until the pan is full but the latkes aren't crowded. Cook until deeply golden-brown, 4 to 5 minutes per side, adjusting the heat if necessary.
- Drain the latkes. Transfer the latkes to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain for 2 minutes. Transfer the latkes to the wire cooling rack set in the baking sheet and keep warm in the oven for up to 30 minutes while you continue cooking the rest of the latkes.
- Serve with creme fraiche, Roe caviar and chives.
- Enjoy!