Can' stop...won't stop...frying latkes that is! And dare I say that these caprese latkes are my favorite latke yet? Potato latkes are mixed with sweet roasted garlic and topped with slices charred tomatoes and decadent burrata cheese. Then finished with a bright and fresh basil oil to bring all the caprese flavors together!
Every year I make a fun new twist on latkes. Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing like my moms classic potato latkes, but over the years I've had fun with twists on latkes.
I've made everything from Taro Latkes with Wasabi Mayo and Poke, which is a nod to my Hawaii upbringing to Hatch Chile and Cheese Latkes which has a lovely spice and flavor, thanks to the hatch chiles. And this year, we're cooking up caprese latkes!
Roasted Garlic Caprese Latkes
Caprese Latkes are a a fun twist on the traditional latkes. Roasted garlic is added to the potato mixture and once fried up, is topped with some delicious additions.
Slices of roasted tomato adorn the garlic potato latkes as well as creamy burrata cheese. I often add burrata whenever I am making a burrata caprese salad or roasted tomatoes and the creaminess works so well with the sweet condensed tomatoes.
And for a final bright layer, a quick and easy basil oil is drizzled on top of the caprese latkes, which offers both a pop of color and layer of freshness.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- A fun twist on traditional latkes!
- Make a batch of latkes ahead of time and freeze, then add toppings after re-heating.
- Uses common ingredients such as potatoes, oil, tomatoes and basil.
Ingredients
- Russet Potatoes: These potatoes fry up really well and make good latkes. I also like using Yukon gold potatoes which work well. Peel the potatoes and grate with a hand grater or feed through the grating attachment of a food processor.
- Garlic: Whole bulb of garlic is roasted until the cloves are incredibly soft. Let it cool, then squeeze our the cloves and add to the potato mixture.
- Shallot: Usually I grate a yellow onion and add that to the shredded potatoes, which you can do as well, but I find that the shallot flavors the potatoes really well in this recipe.
- Eggs: 2 eggs are added to the potato mixture to help bind the mixture together.
- Matzo Meal: My mom always added matzo meal to the latkes, which is ground up matzo. If you dont have matzo meal, substitute with all purpose flour.
- Vegetable Oil: A high heat oil is needed to fry latkes and this is the time to not use the good stuff.
- Tomatoes: Vine ripened tomatoes are sliced and roasted to top the caprese latkes with.
- Burrata Cheese: One of my favorite Italian cheeses, burrata is a ball of mozzarella with a soft cream like cheese in the middle, called stracciatella. When you cut into the burrata, the soft cheese oozes out which is delicious and creamy.
- Basil: Fresh basil leaves is mixed with olive oil to make a simple basil oil to drizzle over the burrata. You can also make basil pesto, which would be delicious.
- Olive Oil: This is used for the basil oil and not the frying. I save olive oil for a light saute and not for a longer fry.
How to Make Caprese Latkes
Roast the Garlic and Tomatoes
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and wrap the garlic in foil and place on a baking sheet.
- Roast the garlic for 20 minutes, then at the 20-minute mark, add the tomato slices to the baking sheet and drizzle with a bit of olive oil.
- Continue roasting the garlic and tomatoes for another 20 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft and garlic is caramelized. Remove from the oven and cool.
Make the Latkes
- Shred the potatoes and shallot using either a hand grated or shred blade in a food processor.
- Transfer the shredded potato and shallot to a clean kitchen towel and squeeze most of the liquid out.
- Add the potato mixture to a bowl along with the eggs, matzo meal and squeeze out the roasted garlic cloves. Season with salt and pepper and mix everything well.
- To a wide pan, pour in enough vegetable oil to completely cover the bottom of the pan and up ½ an inch. Bring the heat up to medium-high and once the oil reaches 350 degrees Fahrenheit, fry 3-4 tablespoon sized latkes on the first for 3-4 minutes until golden brown, then flip over and fry for another 3 minutes.
- As you fry the latkes in batches, transfer the latkes onto a paper toweled lined baking sheet and sprinkle with salt.
Make the Basil Oil
- Add the chopped basil and olive oil to a blender or small food processor and blend until well combined, then set aside.
Assemble the Caprese Latkes
- Top latkes with 1-2 slices of roasted tomato and a dollop of burrata cheese.
- Drizzle with the basil oil and enjoy.
Latke Making Tips
- Use the larger grates on the hand grater or shred attachment of the food processor.
- Squeeze most of the moisture out of the potatoes is very important so the potatoes fry-up well and not get soggy.
- If making the potatoes ahead, soak the peeled potatoes in a bowl of cold water.
- Don't overcrowd the pan when frying, as you add the latkes, the oil temperature decreases. I suggest 3-4 latkes depending how wide your skillet is.
Russet potatoes are great for frying and work well for latkes. Yukon gold is another option that are great for latkes.
High heat cooking oil such as vegetable oil or peanut oil is idea for frying latkes.
Yes, fry latkes ahead of time, drain and cool. They last in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in advance and can be frozen too. To reheat, places latkes on a lined baking sheet and into a 400 degree Fahrenheit oven and cook until warmed through.
More Latke Recipes to Try and Fry
- Pear and Sweet Potato Latkes
- Salt and Vinegar Potato Latkes
- Taro Latkes with Wasabi Sour Cream and Poke
Roasted Garlic Caprese Latkes
LittleFerraroKitchen.com
Equipment
Ingredients
Latkes
- 1 garlic bulb top cut off
- 4 russet potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 shallot
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup matzo meal
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Vegetable oil for frying
Toppings
- 1-2 vine ripened tomatoes cut into ½-inch slices
- 1-2 balls of burrata cheese roughly torn
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- ½ cup Olive oil + more if needed
Instructions
Roast the Garlic and Tomatoes
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and wrap the garlic in foil and place on a baking sheet. Continue roasting the garlic and tomatoes for another 20 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft and garlic is caramelized. Remove from the oven and cool.
- Roast the garlic for 20 minutes, then at the 20-minute mark, add the tomato slices to the baking sheet and drizzle with a bit of olive oil.
- Continue roasting the garlic and tomatoes for another 20 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft and garlic is caramelized. Remove from the oven and cool.
Make the Latkes
- Shred the potatoes and shallot using either a hand grated or shred blade in a food processor.
- Transfer the shredded potato and shallot to a clean kitchen towel and squeeze most of the liquid out. Add the potato mixture to a bowl along with the eggs, matzo meal and squeeze out the roasted garlic cloves. Season with salt and pepper and mix everything well.
- To a wide pan, pour in enough vegetable oil to completely cover the bottom of the pan and up ½ an inch. Bring the heat up to medium-high and once the oil reaches 350 degrees Fahrenheit, fry 3-4 tablespoon sized latkes on the first for 3-4 minutes until golden brown, then flip over and fry for another 3 minutes.
- As you fry the latkes in batches, transfer the latkes onto a paper toweled lined baking sheet and sprinkle with salt.
Make the Basil Oil
- Add the chopped basil and olive oil to a blender or small food processor and blend until well combined, then set aside.
Assemble the Caprese Latkes
- Top latkes with 1-2 slices of roasted tomato and a dollop of burrata cheese. Drizzle with the basil oil and enjoy.
Notes
- Use the larger grates on the hand grater or shred attachment of the food processor.
- Squeeze most of the moisture out of the potatoes is very important so the potatoes fry-up well and not get soggy.
- If making the potatoes ahead, soak the peeled potatoes in a bowl of cold water.
- Don't overcrowd the pan when frying, as you add the latkes, the oil temperature decreases. I suggest 3-4 latkes depending how wide your skillet is.
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says
Samantha, you have outdone yourself. These are EPIC!
Samantha says
So so good!! Thanks Dorothy!! Happy Hanukkah!!
Kristin says
Delicioso! I love the idea of the latke bar for a holiday party! I have a friend who is allergic to nightshades so I'll start my sweet potato tests early!
Samantha says
Thanks Kristin! Sweet potato latkes are fabulous!! Have fun!
Mike says
Chef Ferraro is so talented. She thinks outside the box and we always use her littleferrarokitchen.com site too find yummy recipes and also use her cookbook, Lots of great photos of her food and its a great stocking stuffer.