Latke Board
Hanukkah isn’t the biggest holiday for Jewish people, but in my family, it was a big celebration. My grandmother loved to have us gather and sing around the menorah. And, of course, she loved cooking for the holiday. She had a few staple recipes for holidays, but her latkes were always so fun to make for Hanukkah.
For my basics around building the perfect boards, check out this post Simple Charcuterie Board.
Since I was the kid in the family most excited about cooking, I always got to help grandma. I was sat up on the counter and helped her with tasks. Some of the easier tasks that I would get like mixing the bowl, shaping the latkes, etc. Then when it came to frying the latkes, she would make me get down from the counter and sit at the table…she was always worried I would burn myself. And honestly, I don’t blame her. To this day I’m still very accident-prone. My partner continually laughs at my antics in the kitchen.
As a kid I really just liked eating mine with ketchup…grandma didn’t love that, so I would eat one with apple sauce to appease her. But as I got older the more I realized that you could do so much more with your latkes. So, a few years ago for a magazine feature, I made this Latke Bar. It’s complete with a latke recipe and some delicious toppings. But this year I wanted to make it into a large board.
This latke board is perfect for a family dining table or even a party. I wanted this to be a fun, show-stopping way to serve your latkes. I love adding in fun aspects too like mini veggies, herb flowers, and edible flowers from Gourmet Sweet Botanicals.
Full disclosure, I used Trader Joe’s latkes on this board for ease of building this board. However, I full believe in making your own latkes if you have the time and like to cook. Here is my latke recipe. Either way, making them or buying them, as long as they make you happy…they are fine, they are right for you!
Table of Contents
What to serve with Latkes
The most classic things to serve with latkes are applesauce and sour cream. However, you can serve so many things with latkes. From fancy toppings like caviar, to ketchup (this is a point of contention for many Jewish people, I’m fine with it. Haha), and so much more. Below I’ll share some ideas.
Some ideas to top your latke
- Applesauce
- Sour cream
- Greek Yogurt
- Caviar
- Ketchup
- BBQ or hot sauce
- Lox
- Vegan Lox (I used Sophie’s Kitchen Plant-Based Smoked Salmon)
- Cream cheese
- Everything seasoning
- Veggies like cucumber and onion
- Avocados or guacamole
- Spicy Cilantro Lime Avocado Sauce
- Chives and scallions
- Hard boiled eggs or eggs over easy
- Hummus
- Salsa
Latke Recipe
Here is a link to my latke recipe from my grandmother. It has shredded potatoes, matzo meal, yellow onion, cold water, egg, salt and pepper, and of course…olive oil!
One of the most important parts to make latkes is removing all the liquid from the potatoes. You want to shred by hand or in a food processor. Then move into a flour sack or cheesecloth and squeeze all the liquid out. You can also use a cheesecloth mixed with a potato ricer combo to really squeeze them dry. Then you add in onion paste, matzo meal (finely ground), egg, and seasoning. Mix and shape into discs about the size of your palm. Heat a pan with olive oil, add in your latkes and fry on both sides. Place on paper towels or a cooling rack to drain excess oil.
Best Potatoes for Latkes
I love using russet potatoes. I personally prefer using Yukon gold for mashed potatoes and almost all other potato recipes. But a classic flavor and texture of a latke comes from a russet potato. The way they mix in and the starchy-ness they give off is perfect for latkes.
What are Latkes
Latkes are fried potato “pancakes”, but made with potatoes and matzo meal (and other ingredients like onion, egg, seasoning, and oil). These are made by the Jewish community to celebrate Hanukkah and the 8 nights of light.
How to Build a Latke Board
Building a latke board can be fun and actually really easy. You just need to take a little time to plan it out!
Plan it out
- I like to start my ingredient list and recipes. What things do I want on the board? What will I make that will make everyone happy? Do I need all these toppings or just go with one theme?
- Next, I choose my board and bowls. What size board will I need for how many I’m serving? I need to know how many bowls will be used, so I write them all out.
Lay it out
- When it comes to actually building the board, start with laying down your latkes. Try to split them up a little bit so they aren’t all on top of each other and taking up a large section with the board.
- Next add on your bowls of toppings. I added on my apple sauce, yogurt/sour cream, cream cheeses, everything seasoning, etc.
- After that, I added on my vegan and salmon lox. I rolled up the salmon lox to make it into little rolls/roses to make it easier to grab off the board.
- Then, I added my sliced veg. Adding layers of cucumber and red onion. A top here is that you want to start the foods touching each other. Make sure that you’re really building up your board and not leaving empty spaces.
- Next, I added in the slices of lemon and a little lemon zest onto my plain smoked salmon for more flavor.
- I added my sliced hardboiled eggs next. These were a little messy as I wanted these to be a little jammy. Again, layer them right up against something else and fan them out as much as you can.
- After, I added in my mini vegetables of radishes, scallions, etc. And I left on the greens to fill in that space and add some pretty factor.
Finish it off
- And to fill in that blank space I then added in my herb flowers. They are gorgeous and can actually be used to flavor your latkes. I also added my dill and chives.
- I like to pick some pretty spoons, knives, and other cutlery you may need to serve.
- And finished it off with edible flowers!
- Voila!
FAQs about a Latke Board
I would suggest wood instead of stone so that you don't stain it from the citrus or other ingredients.
Nope! This is a great board to buy all the ingredients for at the store and simply assemble it.
Other Recipes to Try
- Unstuffed Safganiyot
- Egg Foo Young Matzo Brei
- Apple Fritter Coffee Cake
- Kugel Arancini
- Latke Bar
- Peppermint Chocolate Rugelach
- Gingerbread Mandelbrot
- Simple Charcuterie Board
Love this Recipe?
Did you make this recipe and just love it? Awesome! If you have a quick minute and could leave a star rating and comment below, I would appreciate the support and knowing your feedback! And if you’re over on Instagram, be sure to tag me in your photos!
Ingredients
- 24 latkes
- ¾ cup applesauce
- ¾ cup Greek yogurt
- 6 oz smoked salmon
- 4 oz pastrami-style lox
- 4 oz vegan lox Sophie’s Kitchen Plant-Based Smoked Salmon
- 8 oz cream cheese
- Everything seasoning
- 1 cucumber sliced
- 1 lemon sliced and zested
- ½ red onion sliced thinly
- 1 tablespoon chives chopped
- 4 hard boiled eggs sliced
Avocado Sauce
- 2 avocados
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ tsp cayenne
Instructions
Latke Bar
- I like to start my ingredient list and recipes. What things do I want on the board? What will I make that will make everyone happy? Do I need all these toppings or just go with one theme?
- Next, I choose my board and bowls. What size board will I need for how many I’m serving? And I need to know how many bowls will be used, so I write them all out.
- When it comes to actually building the board, start with laying down your latkes. Try to split them up a little bit so they aren’t all on top of each other and taking up a large section with the board.
- Next add on your bowls of toppings. I added on my apple sauce, yogurt/sour cream, cream cheeses, everything seasoning, etc.
- After that, I added on my vegan and salmon lox. I rolled up the salmon lox to make it into little rolls/roses to make it easier to grab off the board.
- Then, I added my sliced veg. Adding layers of cucumber and red onion. A top here is that you want to start the foods touching each other. Make sure that you’re really building up your board and not leaving empty spaces.
- Next, I added in the slices of lemon and a little lemon zest onto my plain smoked salmon for more flavor.
- I added my sliced hardboiled eggs next. These were a little messy as I wanted these to be a little jammy. Again, layer them right up against something else and fan them out as much as you can.
- After, I added in my mini vegetables of radishes, scallions, etc. And I left on the greens to fill in that space and add some pretty factor.
- And to fill in that blank space I then added in my herb flowers. They are gorgeous and can actually be used to flavor your latkes. I also added my dill and chives.
- I like to pick some pretty spoons, knives, and other cutlery you may need to serve.
- And finished it off with edible flowers!
- Voila!
Avocado Sauce
- Puree avocados with lemon and cayenne.
Notes
- Customize this however you want! Homemake your latkes or buy them from a store. Is your favorite topping missing? Add it in. Customize this for whatever your wants are.
Rachael says
Oh my goodness this looks so good! I love latkes and a good spread. Looks so fun!
wilensamanda says
So delicious! Hope you try it out!