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….