Name: Extra Crispy Scallion Potato Pancakes
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 2 lbs russet potatoes ((leave the skin on at least one of the potatoes)); ½ medium onion ((white or yellow)); ½ cup scallions ((thinly sliced whites and greens)); 1 teaspoon diamond crystal kosher salt ((use half as much of another brand)); ½ teaspoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon black pepper; 2 large eggs; 1½ cups chicken schmaltz ((or peanut/vegetable oil))

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These potato pancakes have tender centers loaded with scallions and extra crispy edges that shatter under the side of a fork. They're perfect for Hanukkah and for brunch!

If you love a potato pancake with extra crispy edges, tender centers, and tons of flavor, these extra crispy scallion potato pancakes are for you.

👩🏻‍🍳 What inspired these potato pancakes

Growing up, potato pancakes aka latkes (Yiddish for "pancakes") were a Hanukkah-only food in my house. But as an adult fully in control of my own dietary decisions, crispy fried potato pancakes one of my favorite breakfasts all year round.

My family doesn't have a latke recipe that was handed down through generations or anything, so I took it on my self to create my own personal ideal potato pancake.

There's a million and one recipes for potato pancakes out there, so I started by diving headfirst into researching what was already out there.

Here's just some of the recipes I dug into: Tori Avey's classic potato latkes, Bon Appetit's Adam and Maxine's famous latkes, Epicurious's potato latkes (and this Epicurious guide to making perfect latkes every time), Chabad's simple potato latkes, Forward's recipe for buckwheat potato pancakes, and, perhaps most crucially, The Kitchn's classic latkes which led me to my favorite technique of reserving the starchy water from the potatoes to use as a binder.

Thats right, these extra-crispy scallion potato pancakes are gluten free.

From those recipes I pulled together a combination of different techniques and ingredients and tested a bunch to see what I liked best. Then I added a whole lot of scallions, because I just really like scallions in my potato pancakes.

🥔 Why these are my ideal potato pancake

Everyone has their own preference when it comes to what a potato pancake "should" be.

Some people prefer a more uniform batter, closer to the texture of what you'd expect from chunky mashed potatoes. Other people prefer crispy, and lacy-edged potato pancakes with lots of visible shreds of potato.

I would argue that there is no "should" when it comes to a potato pancake. At the end of the day it's fried potatoes and fried potatoes are delicious. There's no "should" or "shouldn't" — there's just what you like best.

What I like best is a crispy-edged scallion-stuffed potato pancake somewhere between thin and thick where the shredded potatoes tucked inside are almost (to borrow some pasta terminology here) al dente in texture. And that's exactly what these are.

So let's get on with it!

🥘 Ingredient notes

Here's what you'll need to make these extra crispy scallion potato pancakes. Nothing fancy!

Russet potatoes - I swear by Russet potatoes for these potato pancakes because they're very starchy, and we need that starch to hold the potatoes together. I like to peel one and leave the skin on the other to get a fun contrast of textures and flavors. Make sure to scrub the potatoes well if you're leaving the skin on.
Onion - A medium sized white or yellow onion. You only need about half of it, but if you like a really onion-heavy latke, go ahead and use the whole thing.
Eggs - Two large eggs will work with the starches to help bind everything together.
Baking powder - This helps the potatoes crisp up in the oil. Do not skip!
Salt & pepper - I use diamond crystal kosher salt which is half as salty as other brands of salt. If you're using a different brand of salt, cut the amount in half. Black pepper can be freshly cracked or pre-ground, doesn't make a difference here!
Scallions - If you're only using half an onion, use the whites of the scallions too. If you're using a whole onion, just use the scallion greens.
Chicken schmaltz or oil - For frying! Chicken schmaltz is traditional, but a bit harder to come by. If you don't have it, I recommend using peanut oil or vegetable oil for their higher smoke points. Do not use olive oil, it has a low smoke point and can quickly overheat.

🔪 Instructions

Start by lining a bowl with a clean flour sack cotton dish towel (basically, not terrycloth). Place a box grater inside the bowl and grate the potatoes and onion on the side with the large holes.

Alternate potato-onion-potato so the flavors start layering in the bowl as you're working. Be careful to protect your fingers. You might have little nubbins of potato or onion left at the end. That's fine. Don't hurt yourself trying to grate every last bit.

Once the potatoes and onions are grated, gather the edges of the towel together over the bowl. Twist the towel to wring out any liquid into the bowl.

There's a lot more in there than you think — really give it a good wringing. Press on different parts of the towel, and squeeze it thoroughly. This can take a minute or two.

That liquid is a combination of water and starches from the potatoes. Those starches will be crucial for helping to bind the potato pancakes together, so don't discard it.

wring the water out of the poatoes and onions

Set the bowl of starchy liquid aside. The starches will settle on the bottom of the bowl as it sits, so make sure you put it somewhere it won't get bumped.

Meanwhile, combine the shredded potatoes and onions with the rest of the potato pancake ingredients.

Stir well to combine. Then stir a little bit more, just to be safe.

Once everything is mixed together, tilt the bowl of starchy liquid forward. You should see a layer of starch on the bottom of the bowl (see photo below, left).

If you don't see the layer of starch, let it sit for 10-20 minutes and check again.

Carefully pour the liquid off the top of the starch. Then add the potato mixture back into the bowl with the starch and stir well to incorporate the starch. That starch works as a binding agent and helps hold the pancakes together.

transfer the potato mixture into the bowl with the starch

Now, you're ready to fry. Cover the potato mixture until the oil is ready. You may want to drain it once before you begin frying.

NOTE: Liquid will continue to come out of the potato mixture as it sits. You can drain that liquid off periodically if you want, but it's not necessary. Either way, press as much liquid out of each scoop of the potato mixture as you can. You don't want to drop a lot of water into hot oil!

♨️ How to scoop and fry potato pancakes

To avoid splashing hot oil everywhere, here's how I scoop and fry these extra crispy scallion potato pancakes.

Scoop the potato mixture into a ⅓ or ¼ measuring cup. Press out as much excess liquid as you can.
Turn the tightly packed potato mixture out onto a wide flat spatula like a fish turner spatula.
Slide the potato scoop off the spatula into the hot oil. Boom, no splashing!
Immediately flatten the potato mixture into the oil. Be careful not to press too hard or the potato mixture will start to come apart. Just press down enough to flatten it out.

scoop the potato mixture and press out water

♨️ 🍽Frying tips for beginners

Use a heavy-bottom pot for your frying. I use a 10.25" or 12" cast iron skillet for frying potato pancakes. Frying is a great way to season your cast iron. Basically just don't use pots that are copper or aluminum.
Use a thermometer to check your oil temperature. I use my thermapen and insert it into the oil at an angle so it doesn't touch the bottom of the pan. Adjust your burner regularly to maintain 350F. You may even need to turn the burner completely off for a little bit.
DON'T WALK AWAY! Hot oil looks a lot like cold oil, it doesn't start bubbling and boiling like water does. It will only start bubbling once you add your potato pancakes. Once the oil is at 350F, you'll likely only need the burner on low-to-medium to maintain the right heat while frying.
Use a fish turner spatula with a thin flexible blade and wide gaps between the supports to lift and flip your potato pancakes with minimal splashing. Use another spatula to hold the latkes in place when flipping if you get anxious about the hot oil.
Dispose of your oil properly. Don't pour it down the drain. Let it cool in the pan, then use a funnel to transfer the oil back to the bottle it came in, then throw out the sealed container. You can also strain the oil back into the bottle and reuse it if it's not too contaminated. There are great tips for how to reuse oil to reduce waste here.

a close up of a potato pancake with a piece cut out of it by a fork. a stack of potato pancakes is visible slightly out of focus in the background.

🍴 How to get extra-extra crispy edges

To get a potato pancake with really crispy, almost bitter charred edges — the kind that shatter when you nudge them with your fork — make sure you don't skip these two steps:

Grate your potatoes with the large holes of a box grater. This gives you large shreds of potato that will stick out into the oil as they fry. If you use a smaller, more delicate grater the potato mixture will be very fine and have a smoother consistency.
Use just the right amount of oil for frying. What's "just the right amount of oil" you ask? You want the oil to come almost all the way up the sides of the pancake — but not so high that the pancakes are completely submerged. This way the edges keep frying even once you flip the pancake, but prevents the top and bottom from overcooking.

🍽 How to serve potato pancakes

Traditionally latkes are served with either sour cream or applesauce. I always assumed the reason for both was simply because they taste good.

According to Chabad, the sour cream is actually symbolic of the meal Judith fed to Holofernes, the Greek general, before decapitating him in his sleep. Which makes it a little awkward that I tend to use plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream with my potato pancakes.

Oops. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The other, less traditional, way I like to eat my scallion potato pancakes is with sliced avocado or guacamole and a poached egg on top. It's a combo inspired by brunch trips to Bottega Louie in Los Angeles where my usual order was an avocado toast on a thick slice of brioche topped with pickled onions, chorizo, and a poached egg.

One morning, when I couldn't decide between the avocado toast or the potato pancakes, our waiter suggested combining the two — avocado toast on top of a potato pancake. I never looked back. It's a winning combo.

🍳 Practical Tips & Recipe Notes

I've made these scallion potato pancakes both with a box grater and with the shredding attachment for my KitchenAid mixer using the smallest/finer shredding setting. You could also use a food processor with a shredding blade. Any method will work. Finely grated potatoes are less likely to fall apart during frying, but larger potato pieces will get a lot crispier around the edges.
Depending on the size of your potato pieces and how thoroughly you wrung the liquid out of your grated potatoes you may want to add a little extra flour to the mixture to help hold it all together. If your first potato pancake has trouble holding together in the pan, stir in 1 tablespoon of flour before making pancake number 2.
Transfer cooked potato pancakes to a cooling rack in a sheet pan lined with paper towels. Pop in a 200°F oven to stay warm while you make the rest.
To freeze, arrange cooked potato pancakes on a lined sheet pan. Place in the freezer for 30-60 minutes until frozen solid, then transfer to a large freezer bag. They'll stay good for 3-6 months. To cook from frozen: Defrost to room temperature, then bake 10-15 minutes at 350°F.
The potatoes will start oxidizing as you grate them — that's why they turn red. Don't worry about it, it's normal.

📖 Recipe