Here’s an easy and lovely way to enjoy latkes, even if you’re not a Hanukah celebrant (they make for satisfying winter fare.) We’re know that using frozen potatoes is not Jewish-grandmother approved, but hey, you’re busy!  Look, it’s not the equivalent of, say buying that ready-made cookie dough with embedded candy sprinkles and then taking them to a bake sales and trying to pass them off as your own. (And hey, if you’ve done that, it’s okay—even Luscious sometimes wakes up with hangover on bake sale day.) It’s just…grated potatoes, exactly what you’ll have if you spend an hour grating them yourself.

Beets are the co-star here. This humble root vegetable is so trendy right now it’s almost irritating.  Carrots are very miffed. Luscious understands how you feel, carrots, but we have to admit that we love the festive deep red color of the beets, and the earthy-sweet flavor balances beautifully with the crispy-salty potato pancakes and the sour cream.  Our favorite way to serve beets, and for that matter you could even say this BEETS other latke recipes. In fact, and we hate to keeping beeting this drum, but there aren’t a latke of better ways to enjoy beets. Just a little root vegetable humor there…

Potato Pancakes with Fresh Beets and Curried Sour Cream

For the pancakes:
30 oz frozen hash browns, thawed
1/3 cup olive oil for frying
1 med onion, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup plain yogurt
½ tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
3 TBS flour

For on top of the pancakes:
8 oz sour cream
curry powder 2 tsp
sea salt sprinkle
three well scrubbed beets,  peeled and chopped
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or chives

Thaw the potatoes by leaving them out on the counter for a couple of hours, or place in a glass bowl and thaw gently in the microwave by heating them in 3 minutes increments on medium power.  Go easy, you’re just thawing them at this point, not cooking them, so it’s okay if they’re still cold. Pour the thawed potatoes out onto a dishcloth, wrap the dishcloth around them and squeeze to remove moisture.

Heat the 3-4 tablespoons of the oil in a cast iron or other large, heavy skillet. Mixed together grated potatoes, chopped onion, eggs, and yogurt. Stir garlic powder, salt, and pepper; and lastly sprinkle flour evenly over potato mixture and stir in evenly.

Now you’re ready to fry!

Have a cookie sheet lined with paper towels and a warm oven ready so you can work in batches. Scoop up about ¼ cup of the potato mixture and place gently in the oil, flattening into a thick pancake.  Repeat with more spoonfuls of mixture, but don’t crowd the pan. Flip the pancakes when the underside is golden brown and crispy, about 3 minutes. Cook on the second side for a couple more minutes, then transfer to the paper-towel lined cookie sheet, and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with another batch of potato mixture, adding a bit more oil and adjusting heat as needed.

Mix the sour cream with the curry powder and salt.  Voila, curried sour cream, sounds exotic!  When ready to serve, place 3 or 4 latkes on a plate, top with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle generously with the chopped beets. Garnish with parsley and eat. Happy Hanukah!