Potato lakes, two ways

There are many ways to fry a potato. Seriously, just think about it for a while. French fries. Tater tots. Steak fries. Hash browns. Home fries.

That really wasn't as many as I thought. Hmm. Nevermind. Point retracted.

Here we made latkes using two different methods, neither one of which is the way you're supposed to do it: oven baking and deep-frying. So, I decided to make latkes for a church potluck, and the pan frying was taking longer than I expected. So, my brother who happened to be making hush puppies at that exact second in his deep fryer suggested we try a change of plan. In all honesty, I liked his better, but they were both great.


Potato Latkes, oven-fried and deep-fried

Ingredients

• 1 pound Yukon potatoes, washed and dried but not peeled
• 1 medium, sweet yellow onion
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3 tablespoons flour
• salt and pepper
• 3 sprigs, fresh thyme
• peanut oil for deep-frying
• extra virgin olive oil for baking
• applesauce and sour cream for serving

Shred the potatoes length-wise in a food processor with the shredding disk. Chop the onion to a quarter-inch dice. Put the potatoes and onion in a small-holed sieve and press against them with several layers of paper towels to drain and absorb excess moisture. You want it to be as dry as possible.

In a large bowl, mix the potatoes, onion, and egg. Mix the flour and baking powder separately, then add add to the mix, along with the thyme, salt, and pepper.

if oven baking
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. On a well-greased baking sheet, drop the potato mixture in 1/4 cup scoopfuls. Flatten to about 1/4 inch thick pancakes. Place in the oven for about 15 minutes, then flip the latkes and bake an additional 10 minutes.

if deep frying
Heat the oil to 375 degrees. Take 1/4 cup scoopfuls of the potato mixture, and form into balls in your hand. Flatten the balls somewhat, and place in the bottom of the fryer basket of a deep fryer. Gently place the basket in the oil, without submerging the potatoes completely. Fry a few minutes until golden brown.

Serve with applesauce and sour cream.

Guest Post: Fried Okra

This post comes from J.Deal, and let me tell you, this girl is legit. If you're trying to become authentically southern, this is the girl to listen to. Raised in Georgia and North Carolina, J has authority when it comes to all things southern where I am just pretending. And friends, there's not much else more southern than fried okra.

Everyone's first reaction when they hear the word okra is, "Ugh, it's slimy," which is not true at all in this case. It's crisp, flavorful, deep fried, and amazing. Go make yourself some right now (extra points if the okra is from the farmer's market and is uber fresh to boot).

Southern Fried Okra
Serves 4.

• 1 lb okra
• 1 c cornmeal
• 1 tbsp salt
• 2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 c buttermilk
• vegetable oil

Choose okra that is an even green color and 2" - 4" long. Trim stem ends from okra and cut into 3/4" lengths. Soak in buttermilk for 15 minutes.

Mix cornmeal, salt, and pepper in a plastic bag. Add okra and toss to coat.

Heat 1/2" oil in a 10" skillet (cast iron is traditional) over medium high heat. When oil begins to shimmer, sift excess cornmeal mixture from okra and add to skillet. Cook, turning occasionally, until golden brown. (Stir gently to avoid losing coating.) Drain on paper towels and salt again if needed.