Schmaltz Latkes

Excerpted from The Last Schmaltz

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Yield: 4 - 6 Servings

Recipe Categories Holiday Snacks & Starters

You can fry your latkes in oil or butter or whatever you want. My festival of lights includes schmaltz, the generously delicious rendered fat from chicken skins. Schmaltz adds flavor, depth, and overall intensity to an already scrumptious dish. You can serve this with my mom’s applesauce recipe or with smoked salmon and caviar on top, which is next level.

The Last Schmaltz by Anthony Rose and Chris Johns; Photography by Kayla Rocca

SCHMALTZ (Yiddish): 1) melted chicken fat. 2) Excessive sentimentality; overly emotional behavior. From one of Toronto's most magnetic chefs and restaurateurs comes a long-awaited cookbook that has just the right amount of schmaltz.

Hardcover

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Latkes

1 small white onion
1 Tbsp kosher salt, divided
1 1/3 lb Yukon Gold potatoes
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup matzoh meal or panko
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
Schmaltz or duck fat, for frying
1/2 cup sour cream, for dipping

Applesauce

5 lb Spy apples (use McIntosh if Spys aren’t available)
2 sticks cinnamon
3 Tbsp white sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Other Options for Serving

smoked salmon, for serving
caviar, for serving

All ingredients onion Kosher Salt Potatoes Black Pepper Matzoh Meal All-purpose flour Egg Egg Yolks Schmaltz Sour Cream Apples Cinnamon Sticks sugar Salmon Caviar

First start the latkes. Peel and slice your onion very thinly, then season with 1/2 Tbsp salt and let sit for 20 to 30 minutes to get all the juices out.
As the onions sit, you can make the applesauce. Peel, core, and cut your apples into large chunks. Place the apples in a large pot with 1/2 cup water, the cinnamon sticks, sugar, and salt. Stir to combine, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for 20 minutes or until the apples start to break down, stirring occasionally. Once the apples are soft, remove the pot from the heat.
Let the apples cool, then remove and discard the cinnamon sticks. If you like, mash the apples with a potato masher for a smoother consistency. Check for seasoning and add extra cinnamon if desired. You can make this ahead and then reheat to serve over your latkes or serve at room temperature.
Return to the latkes. When your onions are almost ready, wash your potatoes and grate them on the fine side of a box grater, then place the potatoes and their juices in a large bowl and mix in the onions. The acid in the onion juice will stop the potatoes from oxidizing too quickly.
Add 1/2 Tbsp salt and the pepper, matzoh meal, flour, egg, and egg yolk, and stir to combine. Let the dough hang out for 5 minutes.
Weigh the latkes into 2 oz balls or use an ice-cream scoop that will make the size that you want. Firmly squeeze all of the juice out of the latkes, form back into balls, and set aside on a clean dish towel to dry a bit.
Gently warm your schmaltz in a large pan over medium heat. Add three to five latke balls to your pan, depending on the pan size, and fry for 1 minute. Don’t overcrowd the pan!
Press the latkes down with a spatula and they’ll naturally become more of a patty shape.
Let them fry until they’re a beautiful golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove the latkes from the fat and put aside on a plate lined with paper towel to absorb any excess fat. Season with more salt and serve with sour cream and applesauce on the side or with smoked salmon, caviar and sour cream on top.

NOTE: If you’re making these at Passover, you can omit the flour.

CHRIS JOHNS is one of Canada's most respected food critics and food writers. His writing has appeared in en Route, The Globe and Mail, Wallpaper, Toronto Life and many international publications. He is the author of A Taste of Prince Edward County and the co-author, with Anthony Rose, of The Last Schmaltz and co-author, with Derek Dammann, of True North. He lives in Toronto, Ontario.

More by Chris Johns

The Last Schmaltz

Anthony Rose and Chris Johns; Photography by Kayla Rocca

ANTHONY ROSE is the chef and co-owner of the Wilder and Rose group of restaurants in Toronto: Rose and Sons, Big Crow, Fat Pasha, Schmaltz Appetizing, Bar Begonia and Madame Boeuf. He has worked with Michelin-starred chefs in San Francisco and New York, led the kitchen at Toronto's The Drake Hotel and garnered rave reviews for his own restaurants.