summary

Warm latkes always get a crowd excited. There is something about those crispy edges and expertly seasoned potatoes that are just too perfect (and they’re not made nearly often enough!). We’ve leveled up this classic by adding a caramelized onion sour cream that is so creamy and delicious. We’ve also included plenty of pro tips in the notes section below to make the best-ever latkes.

ingredients

Caramelized Onion Sour Cream Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion, quartered and sliced
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Latke Ingredients
2 Russet potatoes (about 1½ pounds total), peeled
½ yellow onion
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 egg
Vegetable or canola oil for frying

directions

To make the caramelized onion sour cream, warm the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and season generously with salt and pepper. Saute, stirring occasionally, until the onions are deeply caramelized, about 45 minutes. Cool to room temperature. In a mixing bowl, stir together the sour cream and the caramelized onions. Stir in the parsley and set aside at room temperature.
To make the latkes, shred the potatoes and onion on the big holes of a box grater or use the shredding blade on a food processor. Transfer the shredded vegetables to a clean kitchen towel and wring out as much liquid as possible. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, ¾ teaspoon pepper and the egg. Stir to combine well.
Add ¼ inch oil to a skillet and set over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, scoop 2 heaping tablespoons of batter into your hand and form into a patty. Add this to the oil (frying 4–5 latkes at a time and working in batches) and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side.
Serve the latkes on at once, accompanied by the caramelized onion sour cream.

notes

It is imperative that you wring out as much liquid as possible from the vegetables. The drier you can get this mixture, the crispier the latkes will be. As the mixture sits while you cook batches of latkes, more water will be released from the potatoes. As you grab a scoop to form into a latke, squeeze the potatoes to discard any liquid.

The temperature for frying a latke is a dance. You need the temperature hot enough to create a beautiful golden latke, but not so hot that the latke burns before the inside is cooked. It is ok to adjust the heat as needed. Do not crowd the pan, which will lower the heat of the oil and leave you with oily latkes.

Russet potatoes are the best choice for a latke, as the key to a crispy latke is a starchy potato.

You want to fry in a neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable.

It is best to serve latkes as soon as they are made, but you can keep them warm on a sheet pan in a 200°F oven while you are frying batches.

This latkes with caramelized onion sour cream recipe is also absolutely delicious served with a dollop of applesauce.

When frying, leave the latkes alone! Don’t keep flipping them. Give them time to cook on each side to create that crispy lacy consistency.

Use a heavy-bottomed skillet or cast iron skillet for this. This is the best pan to let that oil get really hot for frying.

Whenever you are frying something, it’s always a great idea to do a tester. Fry one latke and taste for seasoning. Does it need more salt or pepper? Now is the time to add it to the batter!

You can make the caramelized sour cream a day in advance, but bring the dip back to room temperature when ready to serve for the best flavor and consistency.

This recipe can easily be doubled if you are feeding a large crowd.