Cheater Chipotle Cheddar Latkes

Cheater Chipotle Cheddar Latkes: A great miracle happened here, because these are sooo good — without the knuckle-scraping authenticity of traditional latkes, but with the added kick of cheddar cheese and chipotle peppers!

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Welcome back to Sunday Scratchups, your weekly recipe from scratch: Chanukah edition! It’s no longer Sunday, true, but luckily for all of us: Chanukah is an eight day holiday. So, without further ado, here are the Cheater Chipotle Cheddar Latkes I scratched up tonight. Why Cheater? Welllll….

So here’s the thing: These Cheater Chipotle Cheddar Latkes lack all of the knuckle scraping authenticity of hand-shredded potatoes. If you’re going to cheat, though:

• Be sure to pick hash browns with just one ingredient: Potatoes.
• Be sure to thaw them thoroughly before using.
• And never, ever tell. (Shhh!)

But then as long as I was messing with tradition here… I figured I might as well go big or go home, and turned this batch of cheater latkes into chipotle cheddar latkes. If I’m going to stand over a hot stove frying things in hot oil, I’m going to jazz them up with some of my favorite ingredients, right? And these are soooo good, guys: Cheesy, crispy, and potato-y with just enough of that spicy chipotle kick.

Note: I later poked around online and also found someone else’s Chipotle Cheddar Potato Latkes recipe that uses one large baking potato, if you want to try one with fresh potatoes rather than the hash browns.

Cheater Chipotle Cheddar Latkes

Ingredients

30 oz hash browns, defrosted. Make sure yours contain ONLY potatoes, with no added sugars, flavorings, or preservatives (I used Mr. Dell’s).
One small yellow onion
Three chipotles in adobo
One egg, beaten
2 Tbsp adobo sauce
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic salt
3 Tbsp flour
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
Canola oil, for frying

Directions

Defrost hash browns completely, squeeze out any excess water, and add to large mixing bowl. Dice chipotles and onion, preferably in a little food chopper (because as long as we’re cheating, don’t chop a darn thing by hand!) and stir them into the potatoes. Add egg, adobo sauce, chili powder, garlic salt, flour, and cheese and mix well.

Add about 1/4″ of oil to the bottom of a large frying pan and heat over medium-high heat for several minutes. Form potato mixture into small balls, add to pan, and press down slightly to flatten. Cook your latkes in small batches for three minutes per side, then remove to paper towel lined plate. Note: Smaller latkes will hold together better, and be sure to leave generous spacing between them in your pan when frying.

Serve with sour cream on the side. Makes about 20 small latkes.

Authentic or no, these are a keeper

And by keeper, I mean: Once a year on Chanukah when a great miracle happens here and I fry things in oil, it will most likely be these. While even these cheater latkes are a pain to make, they’re so good and so flavorful with the chipotle-cheddar additions that it’s worth it… once a year! 🙂

Cheater Chipotle Cheddar Latkes, printable recipe

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Cheater Chipotle Cheddar Latkes

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 If you’re going to cheat, be sure to pick hash browns with just one ingredient: Potatoes. Be sure to thaw them thoroughly before using. And never, ever tell. (Shhh!) 

Course side

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Rachel Singer

Ingredients

• 30 oz hash browns, defrosted. Make sure yours contain ONLY potatoes, with no added sugars, flavorings, or preservatives (I used Mr. Dell’s).
• 1 small yellow onion
• 3 chipotles in adobo
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 Tbsp adobo sauce
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 3 Tbsp flour
• 8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
• Canola oil, for frying

Instructions

• Defrost hash browns completely, squeeze out any excess water, and add to large mixing bowl.
• Dice chipotles and onion, preferably in a little food chopper (because as long as we’re cheating, don’t chop a darn thing by hand!) and stir them into the potatoes.
• Add egg, adobo sauce, chili powder, garlic salt, flour, and cheese and mix well.
• Add about 1/4″ of oil to the bottom of a large frying pan and heat over medium-high heat for several minutes.
• Form potato mixture into small balls, add to pan, and press down slightly to flatten.
• Cook your latkes in small batches for three minutes per side, then remove to paper towel lined plate.
• Note: Smaller latkes will hold together better, and be sure to leave generous spacing between them in your pan when frying.
• Serve with sour cream on the side.
• Makes about 20 small latkes.

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