The first night of Hanukkah and Thanksgiving only coincide once every 70,000-odd years, so it’s definitely an occasion worth noting. We asked DGS Delicatessen chef Barry Koslow to concoct a Thanksgivukkah recipe, bringing together flavors from both traditions. The result: sweet potato latkes topped with a savory cranberry condiment, a perfect appetizer or side for your holiday table.
Latkes are simple, recipe-wise, but the trick is keeping them crisp. Make sure you squeeze as much moisture from the potatoes and onions as possible, and pan-fry them in clarified butter, canola oil, or even duck fat for a crackly crust. The DGS team recommends underseasoning the mixture to start, frying up a small test bite, and adjusting to taste. The cranberry mostarda to finish the dish is an easy, chutney-like accent that can be made a week in advance. Latkes aside, you may have just found your new cranberry sauce.
Sweet Potato Latkes With Cranberry Mostarda
Serves 4 as a side dish
For the cranberry mostarda:
½ cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
½ cup diced apple
½ cup dried apricots
¼ cup mustard seeds
¼ teaspoon mustard powder
½ cup water
Pinch of salt
1 cup fresh cranberries
Combine all ingredients except for the cranberries in a small sauce pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
Simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the mustard seeds start to plump up.
Pull the pot off the heat and add the cranberries, gently stirring. Be careful not to pop them.
Pour the mixture into a bowl or jar and chill thoroughly before serving. The mostarda can be kept in the fridge for up to a week.
For the latkes:
1 Idaho potato
1 medium sweet potato
½ medium white onion
2 egg yolks
2 small sage leaves, minced
½ cup clarified butter, canola oil, or duck fat (if you’re going decadent)
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Using the largest holes of a box grater, grate the sweet potato, Idaho potato, and onion into a mixing bowl.
Squeeze as much water from the mixture as possible and place mixture in a separate bowl. Discard the water.
Add the egg yolks, sage, salt, and pepper to the bowl. Mix all the ingredients until incorporated.
Place a nonstick pan on medium heat and add the clarified butter, oil, or fat.
Form the potato mixture into baseball-size spheres, and gently place in the butter. Flatten them with a spatula into a pancake shape, so they’re about 1⁄8 inch thick.
Brown the latkes for approximately 5 minutes per side. Remove from pan and put on a paper towel to sop up any extra grease.
Finish the latkes for 10 minutes in the oven on a cookie sheet.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
