What’s our Athlete Food take on latkes? Do we use sweet potatoes, our favorite spuds? Do we have some way of baking them, instead of frying them, avoiding the oil splatter and house-permeating stench of oil? Not a chance. While we doggedly develop more nutritious versions of our staples (granola, tacos, pasta), for the once-a-year dishes (apple cranberry Thanksgiving crisp, Italian beef stew, latkes) we cling to the classics.
And then we tinker with the sides. On Friday I’ll refer to the latke recipe on the matzo meal box, the one my mother and grandmother used. But I won’t use my grandmother’s smooth applesauce, or pop open a jar, like my mom did. Instead I’ll roast them apples like Bec does, then give my older two kids wooden spoons and let them mash away until they get bored.
If your matzo meal container does not include latke directions, use a recipe that’s likely to have been well tested, over years, and to have the proportions correct. Try this one from the NYT or Joan Nathan’s Classic Latkes with chives.
—Melissa
