If you're a potato purist, stick with traditional potato latkes. If you're ready for adventure, try these rich pastrami-studded latkes. The spicy horseradish sauce really kicks it up a notch.

Latke Ingredients

  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tbsp. kosher salt (less if you are using table salt)
  • 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 6 oz. (170 grams) sliced pastrami, diced
  • 2 small onions, peeled (½ lb / 230 grams)
  • 3 Idaho potatoes, peeled (2 lb. / 1 kg.)
  • 1 carrot, peeled
  • ¼ cup plain breadcrumbs
  • Oil for frying

Latke Directions

  1. Beat the eggs with the salt, olive oil, and pastrami in a medium-sized bowl. Using the smallest holes on your grater or food processor, grate the onions, potatoes, and carrot. Immediately add the grated vegetables to the egg mixture and toss to combine. Add the breadcrumbs and mix so they are evenly distributed.
  2. Heat a large skillet over a medium-high flame. (Use two to make it go quicker.) Add oil, about half an inch deep. Test the oil by dropping a tiny bit of the mixture into the pan. When the oil sizzles upon contact, it is ready.
  3. For uniform latkes, use a ¼ or ⅛ cup measuring cup. I used ¼ cup and got 20 latkes from this recipe. Scoop the batter and gently drop it into the oil. Press down gently with the back of the measuring cup to flatten. Fry 2-3 minutes until golden, then flip the latkes and fry 1-2 minutes on the second side. Repeat until all the mixture has been fried. (You will need to add more oil to the pan every couple of batches.)

TIP 1: Add a small piece of carrot to the oil you’re frying in. When the carrot starts to looks shriveled and brown, replace it with a fresh piece. The carrot helps absorb the burnt taste from the oil, and you can keep frying for longer without changing the oil.

TIP 2: Do not drain the batter as you fry it. It may seem tempting to squeeze out the liquid, but the liquid is important. Give the batter a quick mix each time before you start frying a new batch, to reincorporate the liquid.

Yields: 20 latkes

Horserasdish Sauce

  • 1 cup non-dairy sour cream*
  • ½ cup prepared horseradish (more for more heat)**
  • 1-2 tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • Black pepper
  • ¼ cup chopped chives

Mix all the ingredients together. Serve with the latkes.

*If your regular supermarket doesn't carry this, you should be able to find it in a health food store. Common brands in the US are Tofutti and Wayfare.

**Prepared horseradish comes jarred in the fridge section. You can use fresh horseradish instead, but fresh is stronger, so go easy.