The Latke Bar: 6 Recipes 20 Toppings

One cannot get more traditional than serving Latkes on Chanukah. These delicious potato fritters as simple and easy to make, represents the best of Jewish cuisine.

However with 8 long night of Chanukah to celebrate why not give your family a treat with great new twists on this classic Latke dish. Let the Latke Mania begin!

In my house, I make an effort to serve Latke’s every night of Chanukah, and even for me, 8 days of potato latke is a little too much! There is always room in my frying pan to experiment with a few variations of my favorite Latke recipe.

Here are some of my favorite Latke recipes that I  alternate with the potato Latke  through out my  Chanukah nights, that are as tasty and satisfying as the potato Latke. I  especially love serving the various latke recipes with different topping combinations to make the experience of eating those Latkes all the more exciting and mouth-watering.

Last year this Chanukah Party was my most successful one to date, mainly due to this incredible Chanukah Latke Bar. Your family and guest will really get a kick out of trying all the different Latkes and toppings like mine did. And you will find that  you really do not need any other food besides drinks and dessert to feed your hungry crowd, your guests will have a field day trying out the entire Latke Bar.

Even though the Potato Latke will always remain the hands down winner for best Latke ever, I urge you to try a Root Vegetable Latke topped with a little Spicy Mango Chutney – you will see how delicious and awesome that combination can be!

Root Vegetable Latkes
6 red russet potatoes
2 parsnips
Pinch black pepper
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp dried parsley
Oil for frying

Boil potatoes and parsnips until soft enough to insert a fork through easily.
Drain water. Mash potatoes and parsnip.
Add pepper, salt, garlic, ginger, and parsley.
In a large frying pan, heat oil until  hot. Make palm-size patties of the
mashed potato mixture and carefully  place into oil. Fry latkes on each side
until golden brown.
Serve hot.
Tip: Leave the peels on the potatoes for a rustic look that also
saves time.

Cheese Latkes
1 lb. farmer cheese
1 cup flour
½ cup sugar
6 eggs
Pinch of cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
Butter for frying
In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients except the butter.
Use a fork or a large wooden spoon to mix until batter is well combined.
Do not make the batter too creamy; you should still see pieces of farmer
cheese.
Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add butter to
generously coat the bottom of the pan. Fry for 2 to 3
minutes on each side or until both sides are a nice golden brown. Serve
immediately.

Sweet Potato Latkes
4-5 sweet potatoes
4-5 onions
4 eggs
2 Tbsp oil
Salt and pepper
Oil for frying

Grate potatoes and onions. Place in a mixing bowl and add eggs, oil, salt, and
pepper. Mix well. In a large frying pan, heat oil until hot. Scoop a tablespoonful of the mixture
into your hands, squeezing out the excess liquid and forming a patty.
Carefully place into hot oil and fry on each side until it is a brownish color.

Mexican Bean Latkes

2 cups can chick peas

1 cup can black beans

1 package falafel mix

2 eggs

In a food processor, pulse together the chickpeas and the black beans and eggs together. Then add ¾ of your falafel mix into the chickpea mixture and blend well. Remove chickpea mixture onto a plate. On a separate paper plate, pour out the rest of your falafel mix. Using your hands create small latke patties with the chickpea mixture (as you would a mini hamburger patty). Then dip and coat all sides of your patty in the leftover falafel mixture.

Spray a frying pan well with non stick spray, and on medium-high heat pan fry your patties on both sides approximately 3-4 minutes each side. Serve warm with guacamole and sour cream or Techina.

Tip: This recipe is great to make ahead – refrigerate the chickpea mixture up to 2 days in advance. Fry fresh as needed.

Classic Potato Latkes

6 potatoes

6 eggs

Kosher salt

Black pepper

Oil for frying

In a medium bowl grate the potatoes. Add eggs, pepper, salt and mix well.

Heat oil in a frying pan.Scoop potato mixture into oil gently, by the tablespoon full. Fry until side is a nice golden brown, using a spatula turn them over and fry until that side is golden brown. Serve hot with apple sauce and sour cream.

Zucchini-Feta Latkes

2-3 large to medium zucchini

Kosher salt

Black pepper

1 large egg, beaten

3 scallions, chopped thinly

1 cup flour

½ cup feta cheese

4 tbsp. bread crumbs

2 tbsp. fresh dill

3tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

In a medium bowl, grate the zucchinis, sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper liberally over them, and mix well. Cover bowl with plastic and let the zucchini soak for 10 minutes.

Using your hands, squeeze out excess liquid from the zucchini in a small batches and transfer to a separate mixing bowl. Once you have transferred all the zucchini, add the egg, scallions, flour, feta cheese, bread crumbs and fresh dill and mix well with a fork.

In a large frying skillet over medium-high heat, heat up the olive oil. Scoop out the zucchini cheese mixture by the heaping tablespoon and drop into the hot oil. Let zucchini latke fry on one side for 2-3 minutes and then flip over and fry again for another 2-3 minutes. Repeat in small batches and serve hot with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt a garnish.

Tip: this is a very delicate latke and will fall apart if you flip too much.Zucchini’s retain moisture so less oil is needed to fry with.

Toppings:

20 Different Toppings
Maple apple walnut ,Macerated berries, Pear mango chutney ,Salsa , Fried onions,Goat cheese crumble Chumus, Horseradish, Guacamole,Fig jelly, Cranberry relish, Mushroom gravy , Sour cream ,Applesauce Duck sauce, Dill yogurt, Cream of spinach, Lox , Caviar,Pesto

Maple Apple Walnut Topping
1 apple, chopped
¼ cup walnuts
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup heavy cream
Sauté apples in maple syrup until tender. Add walnuts and heavy cream and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.

Macerated Berries
1 cup blueberries
1 cup strawberries
¾ cup sugar
Place berries in a bowl, sprinkle with sugar, and stir. Let the
berries sit in the sugar, stirring occasionally, until berries are
softened and juicy (15 to 20 minutes).

Pear Mango Chutney
¼ cup onion
2 tsp olive oil
Pinch chili powder
Salt
Pinch of garlic powder
1 pear, chopped
1 cup mango, chopped into cubes
Hear oil in a saucepan, then add onions and cook until
translucent. Add chili powder, garlic, and salt. Add pear and
mango, stirring occasionally until fruit is tender (10 to 12 minutes).

Mushroom Gravy
1½ cups mushrooms, cleaned and quartered (canned are
not recommended, as they won’t absorb the broth)
1 tsp olive oil
¼ cup vegetable broth
Sauté mushrooms in olive oil. When mushrooms appear
tender, add broth and let it cook down to a thicker consistency.

Cranberry Relish
2 cups fresh cranberries
½ orange, peeled
2 Tbsp sugar or Splenda
In a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, pulse
cranberries and orange slices until it resembles a relish
consistency and no chunks are present. Add sugar and mix.
Tip:To save a little time, you can replace the orange with
canned mandarin oranges.

Dill Yogurt
6-8 oz. container of Greek or plain yogurt
2 tsp dill
1 Tbsp olive oil
Mix yogurt, dill, and olive oil together.

Salsa
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped, with some seeds remaining
½ Tbsp crushed red pepper
½ lemon, juiced
½ lime, juiced
1 Tbsp cilantro
½ tsp black pepper
Salt
Combine all ingredients, except salt and pepper, in a saucepan.
Bring just to a simmer on medium-high heat. Lower heat and
continue to simmer until vegetables are tender. Add pepper
and salt. Remove from heat and let cool before serving.
Tip:You can use your favorite salsa from a jar, as well.

Guacamole
5 ripe avocados, cut in large chunks
1 large tomato, diced
1 large red onion, diced
1 lemon, juiced
½ tsp fresh minced garlic
3 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
In a large bowl, combine avocado, tomato, onion, lemon juice,
garlic, and olive oil. Using your hands or a potato masher, mix
the ingredients together, slightly mashing the avocado as you
mix. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Creamed Spinach
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cups frozen chopped spinach
½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
In a saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the
crushed garlic and spinach, stir, and cover pan. Let cook for
about 10 minutes or until fully wilted. Uncover and add heavy
cream and Parmesan cheese. Let cream come to a boil, then
lower heat and cover pan again. Let mixture simmer for another
few minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Goat Cheese Crumble
1 loaf goat cheese
Salt and pepper
Cut goat cheese into ¼-inch cubes and season with salt and
pepper.
Pesto
2 bunches fresh basil leaves, checked and washed
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
4 Tbsp pine nuts
½ tsp kosher salt
¾ cup olive oil
Wash basil, discard stems, and dry thoroughly. Place garlic,
pine nuts, and salt in a blender and process for 15 seconds on
high. Add basil leaves. Using the pulse setting, shred the basil.
Then, with the machine on,