The Delicious Latke Alternative To Consider For Hanukkah This Year

Not everyone likes potato latkes. For some, latkes can be a bit lackluster. When cooked improperly, they can be mushy, burnt and underdone all at once, and over-salted, which no amount of sour cream or applesauce can fix. For others, it's the process. Grating potatoes and onions and then frying them means oil splattering and the smell permeating everything for at least a day. If you're hosting Hanukkah this year and don't want to cook latkes but know your latke-loving guests will be disappointed, try making a rösti instead.

Made with the same familiar ingredients as latkes (except for the occasional inclusion of bacon), rösti is a Swiss potato cake that you don't have to fry. The cooking process is much the same as that of latkes, meaning that yes, you must grate the potatoes and maybe thinly slice an onion, but that's it. There's no squeezing, no frying, and no grease, but you still get the latke vibes with deliciously crisp bits and a middle that's almost custard-like. (And if you're thinking this sounds a lot like a potato kugel, you wouldn't be wrong.)

The key to making a good rösti is cooking the potatoes twice. A day in advance, or the morning of, parboil whole, unpeeled potatoes until they've just gone tender and then leave to cool completely before peeling and shredding. By pre-cooking the potatoes, you eliminate the need for squeezing, as the liquid has gelatinized with the starches in the potato. (You can skip the pre-cooking step, but you'll have to squeeze out much of the liquid.) You can add things to your heart's content, such as sliced or grated onion, cheese, bacon, or herbs for a bit of pizzazz.

When it comes time to cook the rösti, you need fat to guarantee the crispiest roasted potatoes. You can use any kind of fat you want; just keep in mind that it will impact the flavor. Bacon grease, schmaltz, duck or goose fat, or clarified butter will do just nicely. 

You can bake rösti in a springform pan or opt for the stovetop and a frying pan. Both methods will require a flip to ensure crispy sides, but if you find it lacking in the brown and crispy department, a trip under the broiler wouldn't go amiss. A bonus is that unlike latkes, which are best right out of the pan, rösti will reheat nicely the next morning for brunch, topped with salmon or applesauce. 

If you can't stand the thought of Hanukkah without latkes but a rösti just won't cut it, there are plenty of alternatives to potato latkes. Really, latkes are just a potato fritter eaten during Hanukkah, a reminder of the miraculous oil that lasted for eight days — latke means "little oily" in Yiddish — other fritters will do, too.

For a different take on the potato latke, veggie fritters studded with carrot and onion will fulfill your cravings for those crispy edges. You can also utilize often-overlooked vegetables, such as celery root and parsnip, to create finger foods that are all at once intensely savory tempered by the sweet parsnip. 

Finally, for fans of sweet potato fries, shred a few and mix with scallions or onion and bake them for an out-of-the-box take on the classic potato latke.