Crispy Potato Latkes

My good friend Minh-Hai is dating someone new. And he’s fabulous. Intelligent, open-minded, kind and thoughtful. But the funny thing about Ben is that he doesn’t cook. Actually, that’s an understatement. He doesn’t own a single pot, pan, knife, piece of cutlery or dish. Up until now, take-out and paper plates have kept him alive. But it’s funny what dating a foodie can do to a person. And let me tell you, anyone who walks into Crate and Barrel, explains that he’d like to make an omelet for the amazing girl he’s dating and walks out with a new skillet, a few plates and some silverware, is top dog in my book. Honestly men, little things go a long way.
 
So when I finally met Ben, we inevitably talked shop. He seemed genuinely interested in expanding his recipe repertoire, and since he’s of Jewish descent, I invited him over to learn how to make latkes. 
 
Getting to know someone over food is one thing but standing there in front of sputtering pans of oil, flipping little crispy potato pancakes is quite another. Ben did wonderfully, and the latkes, he said, were delicious enough to receive his grandmother's approval.

Crispy Potato Latkes
This is the most basic latke recipe - green onions, chives or parsley can also be added into the mix. The traditional toppings include sour cream and applesauce but I bet crème fraiche and caviar would be fabulous. Makes roughly 40 3-inch latkes.

4 pounds potatoes, Yukon Gold or Russet, peeled
2 large yellow onions
2 eggs 
1/3 cup matzo meal or all purpose flour (optional)
2 teaspoons salt
Vegetable oil for frying (peanut or high-oleic safflower oil)

On a box grater, shred potatoes and onions. Tip: you want to aim for long potato strands so it’s helpful to grate the potato lengthwise using a bit of force. You can also skip the workout and use a food processor fitted with a coarse shredding blade. Transfer potatoes and onions to a piece of cheesecloth or a clean kitchen towel and squeeze as dry as possible. When you think you've managed to get all of the moisture out, squeeze some more. This key step is what ensures crispy latkes. 
 
Crack the eggs into a large bowl and beat lightly. Add the shredded potatoes and onions, matzo meal and salt; stir well.
 
In a large skillet, pour in about an 1/8th-inch of vegetable oil and heat over medium-high heat until very hot and shimmering but not smoking. Drop about 1/4 cup potato mixture into the skillet, flattening slightly into about 1/2-inch thickness (they should be a bit thicker in the middle than the outside edges). Repeat until you have 5 latkes in the pan. Fry until the edges and bottoms are golden brown, about 3 minutes, being sure to maintain the heat so that the oil bubbles around the edges. Flip and cook until golden brown all over, about 3 minutes more. Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining potato mixture, adding more oil to the skillet as needed. As you finish frying the latkes, they can be kept warm on a baking sheet in a 250°F oven.
 
Serve hot and crispy topped with applesauce or sour cream and lox.
 
Note: These can easily be done a day ahead of time. Just reheat in a single layer in a 400°F oven until crisp.

Raclette

I’ll never forget the first time I had raclette.  We were introduced to this interactive meal (involving individual pans, wooden scrapers and melted cheese) years ago while visiting family in Switzerland. I also remember declaring on the spot that it was my favorite dish ever.
 
Since then, I’ve enjoyed raclette a million times over. While the novelty has worn off, the deliciousness hasn’t. 
 
Raclette, pronounced rah-KLEHT, refers to both a type of cheese and a traditional Swiss dish that features said cheese. It originated in the Swiss canton of Valais where, as legend has it, the Alpine herdsmen set up camp for the night and when some cheese got too close to the fire, it melted onto a rock. Not wanting to waste (the Swiss are incredibly resourceful), they scraped it up (hence the French root word “racler,” meaning “to scrape”) and declared it delicious. 
 
If you go to a Swiss street festival today, you’ll see raclette being served in a close-to-traditional fashion. A huge half-wheel is heated, cut side up, under an electric heat source until it melts and bubbles, after which it is scraped off over tiny boiled potatoes or bread. But most Swiss homes have a raclette grill. In the same spirit as fondue, diners sit in a circle around the grill, armed with little individual pans. In goes a slice of raclette (along with any desired fixins’ – I love sliced pineapple) and under the grill it goes. When it’s ready, wooden scrapers are used to ensure that every bit makes it to your plate. And if that weren't enough, the top of the unit is equipped with a flat, open grill -- perfect for grilling sausages, prosciutto, veggies or baguette slices. Along with small, boiled potatoes, this cheesy dish is eaten alongside cornichons and pickled onions for digestion.

So the other night we decided to have a spontaneous, mid-week, semi-celebratory dinner party in honor of our good friend Nick, who was moving to Bogota, Colombia to do legal work for a year. Raclette seemed the natural choice. Not only is it interactive, easily assembled AND delicious, it’s one of the few dishes that makes you slow down, take your time and enjoy the experience.
 
Followed by a fresh green salad and a rustic apple tart, our friends were sent home with content bellies. It’s easy to see why this 700+-year-old tradition lives on.

Roasted Roots

It's April in Seattle. This means a few tantalizing, sunny days sandwiched between 25 days of umbrellas and rain boots. This year, just for kicks, Mother Nature decided to play a cruel joke on us sun-starved Seattleites: she let it snow on April 1st. Ha ha, good one. Now I get April Fool's.

As long as this chilly, damp weather remains, I'll continue craving me some stick-to-your-ribs comfort food. Luckily yesterday, I had a beautiful assortment of farmers market root vegetables to play with: tiny potatoes, yellow baby carrots, celery root, turnips and garlic. A few minutes of peeling and chopping, a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkling of salt and pepper and a nice roast in the hot oven is all it took to turn that crunchy produce into sweet, caramelized heaven.

Simple dishes like this warm my soul and make me hopeful of what's to come.

Go ahead Mother Nature, bring it.

Roasted Roots
Simple oven roasting imparts an intensified, concentrated sweetness to root vegetables. Roast with a few sprigs of sturdy herbs (like rosemary) or toss with soft, leafy herbs (like parsley) after vegetables are cooked.

2 lbs root vegetables of choice, washed, peeled (if desired) and chopped
Whole garlic cloves, skin on
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a shallow, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place vegetables on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly. Spread to a single layer and roast in oven 40-50 minutes or until vegetables are tender, golden brown and beginning to caramelize. Be sure to stir once or twice during roasting.

*Serving ideas: roasted roots taste scrumptious alone, on pizza, in soups, as a sandwich filling with goat cheese or tossed with pasta.