Sweet Potato and Vegetable Latkes

Latkas are a tradition during Hanukkah and I love them as much as the next person. Those luscious potato pancakes with apple sauce or sour cream are hard to pass up. However, if you’re fighting a weight battle or are concerned about your cholesterol, it may be better to break with tradition a little. Traditional latke recipes are often high in calories. Some are even fried in rendered chicken fat.

My Sweet Potato and Vegetable Latka’s recipe is lighter, more nutritious, and just as scrumptious.

Enjoy this recipe!

Sweet Potato and Vegetable Latkas

Rebecca Forstadt Olkowski

A departure from traditional latkas but still delicious and perfect for the holidays.

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Course Entree

Cuisine Holiday

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  

• 1 potato any type or a variety of baby potatoes
• 1 medium sweet potato or yam
• 1 turnip
• 1 small zucchini
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 1 Tsp thyme fresh or dried
• 1 Tsp Oregano fresh or dried
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Grate the potato, sweet potato, turnip, zucchini, carrot and onion into a bowl.
• Take portions of the mixture (about a cup or so) and place them on a long piece of paper towel. roll and squeeze to get the moisture out. (this is especially important when using other vegetables other than potatoes) Place the mixture back in the bowl after it’s been patted down.
• Add the two eggs, flour, herbs (you can be creative with these) salt, and pepper. Stir until blended.
• Heat a skillet on high or medium high with 1-2 Tbsp of grapeseed oil until it is hot.
• Scoop a large spoonful of veggie mixture and flatten into a pancake. Cook until brown on each side.
• When the latkes are finished frying place them in a dish lined with paper towels to soak up extra oil.
• Add grapeseed oil as needed and finish frying up the mixture.
• Serve with sour cream, plain yogurt, and/or applesauce.

You can use a food processor to grate the potatoes or hand grate them depending on your preference for consistency.

My personal preference is to smother my latkes in sour cream. but low-fat Greek yogurt works just as well and is healthier. If you’re an apple sauce person, use unsweetened and natural applesauce rather than a brand that has sugar added. Sometimes it’s the little tweaks that make all the difference.

You may also want to experiment with the vegetables in the batter. Instead of using zucchini and turnips, try leeks, cauliflower, rutabagas, beets, or even apples.

Just a couple of notes:

I use grapeseed or avocado oil to fry my latkes because it has a high smoke point and is loaded with antioxidants. It has a light, nutty taste and is low in saturated fat.

You can also use a variety of colored potatoes such as buttery Yukon Gold or even purple ones, although that may look kind of weird.

L’Chaim!

How do you like to make your latkas?  Please leave a comment below.