Last year around this time I shared my sweet potato latke recipe with you. It is one of my favorites. Very simple, very tasty, and I was excited to make them again for Hanukkah this year. And then my husband announced that he is sick of sweet potatoes. WHAT?! So while I will still make the sweet potato latkes for the rest of us, I thought this might be a nice chance to try something new, and the root vegetable latke was born!
As with my sweet potato version, these latkes are not fried in oil, but rather are baked on a layer of oil. I know that takes away from their traditional latke-ness, but I just have a block about frying foods in my house. And I have to say, the smell of these baking is absolutely awesome—way better than the smell of fried foods that lingers for days…
These latkes are made with carrots, parsnips, and onions, so they are quite sweet, but also lighter than standard latkes. They go really nicely with sour cream or plain Greek yogurt—the sweet and sour. You can also make them even more interesting and exciting by adding one of the optional spices—cumin, chili powder, and za’atar would all be awesome.
I hope you enjoy these as much as we do and that they help to bring the light and cheer of Hanukkah into your home. Or, if you don’t celebrate Hanukkah, that these tasty root vegetable treats will still be a fun change of pace.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lb carrots, peeled
- 1 lb parsnips, peeled
- 1 small onion, cut into small chunks
- 2-3 eggs
- 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- black pepper to taste
- optional spices to add: cumin, chili powder, or za’atar
- optional dips: sour cream or Greek yogurt
- Preheat the oven to 425. Spread the oil evenly on two large baking sheets.
- Using a grating fixture for your food processor or a box grater, grate the carrots, parsnips, and onion.
- In a small bowl, lightly beat two eggs.
- Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl and add the two eggs. Mix well.
- Add the flour, baking powder, salt, black pepper, and a spice if you are using one. Stir until everything is well combined. If the mixture feels dry or if it doesn’t stick together at all when you scoop some up with your hand, then lightly beat the third egg and mix it in.
- Scoop up handfuls of the mixture, squeeze gently, and lay them out on the baking sheets. Gently press them down until they are about 3 inches in diameter and ¼-inch thick. The latkes will not expand, so you can put them close together.
- Place in the oven and bake about 10 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown. Flip and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Serve with sour cream or yogurt.
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