spinach & pecorino latkes

Once September hits, the rest of the year seems to fall into fast forward mode. It also feels like a quick succession of emotional hurdles, leaving me caught in a constant game of catch up. That means I’ve been spending more time in the kitchen than usual. I know, that seems hard to imagine, but it is true. The kitchen is where I retreat to when I need to find myself again. People often ask how I manage to stay in shape, and the answer is usually that I have incredible will power. That is until I started making these spinach & pecorino latkes. For those of you who haven’t tasted latkes, I must warn you they’re highly addictive crispy, potato pancakes.

spinach latkes 03

A lot of things came to mind when I thought about what to make for this week’s Fall Fest, but with Hanukkah just about a month away, latkes have been on my mind. I decided a pop of spinach would offset the decadence of frying them (in this case, ignorance is indeed bliss!). The resulting recipe is very reminiscent of the one I have in Homemade with Love. In fact, that’s what I used as my base recipe. I just took out the ricotta, and upped the amount of Pecorino to give it a salty, sharp kick.

spinach latkes 02

Okay, I’m going to jump down my rabbit hole of busyness again. When I resurface, I hope to share my new recipe for the best gingersnap cookies, ever. I’ve been searching my whole life for them, and the recipe came to me in a dream, sort of. No joke.

This recipe is now part of my new site, Simmering.  Join thousands of other paid subscribers now for only $5/month or $30/year (that’s six months free!). 

 

 

10 Comments

  • Cassandra

    I’ve never tried latkes, but they sound awesome. I’ve been reading your blog for awhile now and I have to say that you are a fantastic writer. If you ever decide to write a novel I would be first I line.
    I have a tiny connection to you only that I work in a Williams Sonoma in Raleigh with a friend of a friend.
    Thanks for all your wonderful recipes.

  • lori

    Wow. These look divine. Every year I host a latke party and have been trying to decide whether or not to do it this year because that weekend is so busy as already. But now I have to so I can make these. Can’t wait for the ginger snaps recipe!

  • Miranda

    Unrelated question about shopping for a nonstick skillet for eggs, pancakes, etc. Is it worth spending more or are all has basically the same/ok as long as you don’t scratch them? I use my cast-iron pan for most other things, but I think egg/batter might do better with nonstick. Thanks!

  • Sue

    Something I’ve never understood is why the grated potatoes are soaked to leach the starch, but then the starch is added back in for the frying. Why bother with the leaching process? I genuinely would like to know the science behind this.

  • Jennifer Perillo

    Sue,

    Potatoes have a high water content, so you need to remove as much of it as possible to ensure a crispy result. By letting the starch settle to the bottom of the bowl, and pouring off the excess water, you’re left with only the starch. Combine this method with wrapping the shredded potatoes in a towel to remove the water, and you’ve removed as much water as possible, but managed to retain the natural starch, which adds extra crispness (and thus making these latkes naturally gluten-free, too). Hope that explanation makes it clear.

    Cheers,
    JP