Fry the Latte in Duck Fat
I received a text this morning from my friend Amanda. Amanda is very good at food. I’m not just saying this because she wrote for Skillet – I ate at her house several times, ranging from personal fondue dinners to full-fledged Easter Seders attended by over 30 people.
Amanda had some great latka news this morning. You see, she fried them in duck fat and was very pleased with the result:
“How can there be something wrong with latkes? These are fried potatoes. They are born perfect. No amount of iteration of food think tanks can improve them. OR CAN THEY? “- she asked me via DM. “Since potatoes are really just a palette for whatever flavor you put on them, the vegetable oil, I realized, was a pretty laissez faire tribute to Hanukkah,” she explained. “Duck fat gives them a strong umami flavor, which has the side benefit of feeling superior.” (As someone with a lot of duck fat, I can attest that it really makes you feel like a foodie from the Hampton.)
It might complicate things a bit with your toppings if you keep kosher, but fried lattes with duck fat and really good applesauce sound really cool to me, although Amanda recommends “treat them like pancakes, not offend them with applesauce.” and sour cream “. Bonus: smoked salmon and caviar are pareve , meaning they can be paired with duck-fried fried potatoes for a delicious kosher bite.
Also, for those who are concerned about costs, remember that you do not need to deep- fry the latte in duck fat. Amanda showed me the amount of oil in her saucepan and it looked quite reasonable (see the photo to the side of this paragraph). Plus, Hanukkah is a time of celebration. Time to pamper yourself and your family. If there was a year when it was necessary to pamper yourself a little with potatoes, I think this is it.