Einat Admony’s Stunning Beet Latkes are Bound to Become a Hanukkah Tradition

Happy Hanukkah! From December 25 to January 2, we’ll be celebrating the Jewish holiday of lights. And if you’ve had the pleasure of indulging in delicious Hanukkah foods, then you’re certainly familiar with the latke. This yummy potato fritter is a traditional mainstay of the holiday, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t ripe for experimentation.

This year, chef, author, and restauranteur Einat Admony is bringing us a latke recipe that will pleasantly challenge your tastebuds. Here, she mixes shredded beets with shredded potatoes and onion to make her latkes — the addition of the yummy purple root vegetable adds just a hint of earthy sweetness.

Plus, we’re absolutely enamored with Admony’s preserved lemon yogurt dressing. The salty, sour preserved lemons add a tart kick to the creamy yogurt, while the optional addition of chopped jalapeño adds just a hint of spice — while you can technically go without them, we wouldn’t dream of leaving the peppers off our plates. Plus, the added honey rounds out the bite into a mind-blowing, salty-sour-spicy-sweet experience. We have a feeling these will become the highlight of your Hanukkah season — or maybe your year.

Beet Latkes with Preserved Lemon and Yogurt Dressing

Yield: Makes 10 to 12 Latkes

Ingredients

• 1 medium russet potato (270 g), peeled
• 1 large or 2 small beets, peeled
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• ¼ cup (30 g) all-purpose flour
• Freshly ground black pepper 
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• Preserved Lemon and Yogurt Dressing (recipe below) or plain yogurt, for serving

Instructions

1. Grate the potato coarsely on the large holes of a box grater or in a food processor using the grating blade. Wrap the grated potatoes in a clean kitchen towel (no fabric softener, please!) and squeeze vigorously to get rid of any excess liquid. Transfer to a large bowl. Do the same with the onion. If you don’t care about staining your dish towel, do the same with the beets. Otherwise, grate the beets and squeeze out the moisture by hand; add to the bowl with the potatoes and onion.
2. Add the egg, thyme, rosemary, flour, and several twists of pepper and mix thoroughly — your hands are good for this.
3. Line a plate or tray with paper towels. Fill a large nonstick skillet with vegetable oil to a depth of ¼ inch (6 mm) and heat the oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, stir the salt into the latke mixture, pick up a small handful, and squeeze out even more liquid (depending on the potato and onion you use, you might have quite a lot of liquid). Shape the mixture into a round, flat patty about 3 inches (7.5 cm) in diameter and carefully add it to the hot oil. Repeat until you have a panful of patties, but with plenty of room between them to flip the latkes. Fry until the latkes are crunchy and slightly browned, about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to the paper towels to drain. Repeat to form and fry the remaining potato mixture.
4. Serve at once, with the preserved lemon and yogurt dressing or plain yogurt alongside.

Preserved Lemon and Yogurt Dressing

Yield: Makes about 3 cups (720 ml)

• 8 wedges preserved lemon, store-bought or homemade (recipe below)
• 1 jalapeño chile, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped (optional)
• ¼ cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice
• ¼ cup (60 ml) water 
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups (480 ml) whole-milk Greek yogurt (we like Fage)

Instructions

1. Rinse the preserved lemon wedges and remove the seeds. Combine the preserved lemon, jalapeño (if using), lemon juice, water, honey, turmeric, salt, and oil in a food processor and puree until you have a completely smooth mixture — this may take a couple of minutes, so be patient.
2. Add the yogurt and pulse a few times, until the sauce is smooth and lemony yellow.
3. If not using at once, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Preserved Lemons

Yield: Makes 15 lemons

Ingredients

• 3 cups (720 g) kosher salt
• ½ cup (100 g) sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons coriander seeds
• 1 ½ teaspoons whole black peppercorns
• ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
• ¼ teaspoon sweet paprika
• About 15 lemons, washed and quartered lengthwise
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick

Instructions

1. Mix the salt, sugar, coriander, peppercorns, turmeric, and paprika in a large bowl. Spread half the mixture over the bottom of a 1-gallon (4 L) glass jar with a tight-fitting lid.
2. Put the lemon wedges in the jar, squeezing their juices into the jar as you throw them in. Pack the lemons tightly to remove all the air, which would cause them to oxidize. Add the bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and the remaining spice mixture and pour in just enough water to fill the jar to the rim. Seal and leave at room temperature for at least 2 months (3 months is even better), until the rinds are very soft. Every couple of weeks, flip the jar a couple of times to make sure all the flavors and spices are distributed evenly. To check for doneness, use a clean fork to remove one lemon wedge from the bottom part of the jar and make sure the rind is completely soft.
3. Once the lemons are ready, move them to the fridge (this will slow down the pickling process), where they will keep for at least 6 months. To prevent spoilage, don’t be tempted to remove the lemons from the jar with your fingers (even if you are convinced those fingers are clean)—always use a clean, dry spoon, fork, or tongs. Give them a quick rinse and remove any seeds before using.

Courtesy of Chef Einat Admony