Anyone who has grown up with the holiday of Hanukkah has likely tasted latkes, the oily and delicious treat make of fried potato batter. But for those of us who are watching our fat intake, we wonder whether healthy or low-fat latkes are even possible to make. Luckily, they are!
Low Fat Latkes
These traditional Jewish holiday foods always seem to be smothered in oil. So how can you make such a fatty food without so much fat? Like most other foods, the solution lies in baking them rather than frying them. However, latkes will still require some oil to make sure that the edges get crispy. To do this, smear some olive oil on a cookie sheet before dropping the latke batter on it. Then bake them in the oven on a high heat. It’s important to make sure that the latkes are very small in order to keep them as crispy as possible.
Vegetable Substitutions
Of course, one of the easiest ways to make latkes healthier is to replace the starchy potatoes with a healthier vegetable, such as sweet potatoes or zucchini. Sweet potatoes can be substituted in almost any latke recipe, and zucchini can be added to most recipes to replace some of the starchiness of the potatoes.
Tips for Making Traditional Latkes Healthier
Okay, so you’re set on making latkes the traditional way: fried in oil. Is there anything you can do to make them healthier or lower in fat? Sure there is.
First of all, choose your oil wisely. Olive oil is much healthier than vegetable oil, and frying your latkes in olive oil is actually closer to how they traditionally did it! After all, the holiday celebrates the miracle of the olive oil in the Temple, which miraculously lasted for eight days.
If you are deep frying your latkes, make sure to learn how to deep fry the healthy way . This can limit the amount of fat that makes it into your lakes, making them lower in fat.
In addition, make sure that you’re prepared to drain the excess oil from your latkes. To do this, tear about half a roll of paper towels into sheets. Place several sheets on a plate before you begin frying your latkes. As the first batch finishes, place them in a single layer on the paper towels. After the batch is finished frying, lay several paper towels on top of them as well before you continue with the next batch. Each layer of latkes will be sandwiched between two layers of paper towels, which will drain the oil from them. This is a great way to make fried, yet low fat, latkes.
