Skip to main content

Latkes!

This is mostly a post to show off my fancy new graters.

I read somewhere about these "slaw cutters" from the Bluffton Slaw Cutter Company. The fact that an old school kitchen supply company can succeed manufacturing little more than stamped sheets of metal in the US in the 21st century should give you a hint about the quality of their product. The 3 piece set of slaw cutters with a handguard (trust me, you need one) is about $21 shipped.

These are basically big heavy plates of steel with the "knives" (not holes, knives) punched in such a way that they self-sharpen with use. Amongst other things (the one with big slots has 90% of the functionality of a mandolin, at 1/10th the price) they are fantastic for producing the original potato pancake with a really unique, delicious texture, with individual al dente strands of potato rather than a pulverized mush from a food processor.

Latkes:
Peel and grate some pototoes. Salt liberally and leave in a collander in the sink to let the excess moisture drain off. After 5 minutes or so squeeze them down to get them as dry as possible. Heat oil until almost smoking in a pan, and place a couple mounds of shredded spud in the pan, careful not to crowd the heat. Reduce heat to medium-high. Gently move latkes around until the bottom browns properly to prevent sticking. Smush them flat and flip them once the bottom is golden brown and crisp. Total cooking time should be about 3 minutes a side. Serve with practically anything (but fried apples are extra good)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Thick-cut Pork Chops

These intimidating chops were actually pretty easy to cook. They're called an "Iowa Chop", and they're just a thick-cut, bone-in, center-cut chop. I've discovered that the secret to juicy pork chops is to start with a cold pan and obsessively checking the temperature . I find they're best just under 160 degrees. Pork Chops 2 1-lb. Iowa Chops 2-3 Tbsp. salt 2 Tbsp. white pepper 2 Tbsp. dried sage 2 Tbsp. Smoked (or regular) paprika 3 Tbsp. oil Sauce (optional): 1/2 c. chicken broth 1/2 c. white wine (I used Pinot Grigio) 2 Tbsp. corn starch 1 tsp. white pepper 2 tsp. Dijon mustard 1/4 c. cold water Preheat the oven to 350. Pat the chops dry with some paper towel. Sprinkle them liberally with the salt and spices and allow them to warm up to room temperature while you start the quinoa and chop the cauliflower. Place the oil in your pan, but do not pre-heat the pan. Add the chops to the pan and place them on the stove. Heat the pan up to medium, turning the chop ...

Miele Steam Oven Pulled Pork

I've been debating whether I should post some of these more niche recipes--now that we have a steam oven and a high powered stove, I am making recipes that not everyone can reproduce with other equipment. I've decided to post some of them 1) for my own records, and 2) because there are very few recipes available online for these devices (especially the steam oven). Perhaps these recipes will be of use to others. I don't have a photo for this one because I decided to post the recipe after the fact. 3-5 lb pork shoulder roast (~3 lb without bone, ~5 lb with) 1 large white onion, 1/4" slices 1 Tbsp. butter 1 chicken boullion cube 1 c. water 2 tsp. dried thyme 1 tsp. dried sage 1 tsp. whole coriander 1 Tbsp. coarse ground salt 1 Tbsp. brown sugar 1 tsp. dry mustard 1 tsp. white pepper 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. cayenne 1/4 tsp. allspice 1/4 tsp. celery seed Saute the onions in the butter in a saute pan over medium for 10 min until the onions are somewha...

Nantucket Cranberry Pie

Announcing the first of the Thanksgiving recipes! I got this recipe from NPR during a show about cranberries. It's a very simple and easy pie (great if you need to make a last-minute dessert), which uses our favorite seasonal fruit. It can be served warm or cold and with or without whipped cream, though I argue it's best as-is. I didn't take this awesome picture--it's from the NPR website (Andrew Pockrose). Yes, it's as delicious as it looks. Preheat the oven to 350 and butter a 9" or 10" pie plate. Filling: 2 c. cranberries (fresh or frozen), coarsely chopped* 1/2 c. walnuts, coarsely chopped* 1/2 c. sugar Batter: 2 eggs 3/4 c. melted butter 1 c. sugar 1 c. flour 1 tsp. almond extract *(Retain some of the most attractive cranberries and walnuts for decoration) Toss together the chopped cranberries, walnuts, and sugar for the filling. Place this mixture in the buttered pie plate and pat it down gently. I chopped these using a food processor but you can ju...