Not to get cheesy, but these latkes are mozzar-hella good! I mean nothing is cheddar than this. And yes, there is cheese IN the Cheesy Breakfast Taco Latkes with Doña Sauce!
I will apologize in advance for the amount of cheesy cheese puns you will have to endure to get to this grate recipe. Or just scroll to the bottom, your choice.
But first, a little history. I promise it won’t be boring! We all know Hanukkah = fried foods because oil because a small amount of oil lasted eight nights. So bring on the latkes and sufganiyot. But did you also know it’s a tradition to each cheese on Hanukkah?!
It’s true. Legend has it, our heroine Judith, a beautiful young widow living in Jerusalem a few hundred years or so before Judah, seduces the evil Holofernes, who was sent by King Nebuchadnezzar to conquer the city and convert all the Jewish people living there. She feeds him cheese and wine and more cheese and more wine until he passes out… and she beheads him. Didn’t see that coming, did you? When Holofernes’ cohorts see what happened, they freak out and flee the city and the Jews are saved! Another important story about revolution for the oppressed.
Soooo I put cheese in my latkes! The latkes are crispy and the cheese adds an extra layer of crispy for MORE texture goodness. Oh it’s so gouda.
These are inspired by the breakfast my husband and I make the most often. Breakfast tacos! Soft scrambled eggs, perfectly ripe avocado, bacon, lots of cheese in a local tortilla. And topped in a doña sauce inspired by one of my faves, Taco Deli! Sweet dreams are made of cheese.
So I thought why not make a version for Hanukkah week! Breakfast taco latkes were born. The photos were a little rushed because we were hungry and wanted to eat them hot! A sad side effect of blogging is cold food. Sad indeed. We did not want cold breakfast taco latkes. Not today!
Nothing can get feta than this. You better brie-lieve I am eating this every morning of Hanukkah!
Cheesy Breakfast Taco Latkes
Ingredients
Cheesy Latkes
- 2 pounds russet potatoes (approximately), washed (to get 5 cups shredded)
- 2 tablespoons white onion grated (optional, you can add more too for more onion flavor)
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon potato starch (optional)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup shredded cheese, I like cheddar
- ½ cup canola oil (or other oil for frying like grapeseed)
Tacos
- 8 eggs
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 avocado, sliced or diced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Doña Sauce (see recipe below)
Pico de Gallo
- ½ cup red onion, diced
- ¾ cup tomatoes, diced
- ¼ cup cilantro, minced
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Latke time! If you are making the Doña Sauce and pico de gallo, make those first and set aside. You can make the Doña up to three days ahead and the pico a few hours ahead. Make the eggs right before serving.
- To make the pico, combine all ingredients and set aside or refrigerate of not using right away.
- Start by peeling your potatoes one at a time and shredding them with the large holes of a box grater into a bowl of ice water. You should have about 5 cups of potatoes. Grate the onions into there too. Let sit for 10 minutes.
- Remove potatoes, squeezing out the moisture into the water. Dry potatoes very well with towels or cheesecloth and keep covered. Let the water sit for 5-10 minutes for starch to accumulate on the bottom. Carefully drain water, reserving the white starch on the bottom. This part is optional, but helps make crispier latkes with soft insides. You can also add potato starch to the potato mixer directly, but why do that when you already have it in the potatoes?!
- Place potato/onion mixture in a large bowl, dry again very well. Then add in the eggs, flour, cheese and salt and reserved dried off starch and combine.
- Set up a cooling rack over paper towels.
- Meanwhile, heat up canola oil in a large (cast iron) saute pan. Pro tip- add a little piece of peeled carrot to the oil to help it from burning.
- Scoop heaping 1/4 cup spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the oil (they should sizzle!) and flatten slightly and fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Don't worry about your latkes being perfectly round. Those fly away pieces get extra crispy and delicious especially with the cheesey goodness! Then flip and fry the other side. Don't overcrowd the pan.
- Repeat with remaining latke batter, drying it again if liquid starts to accumulate. Drain on a rack over paper towels and sprinkle with more salt.
- Make the eggs by whisking the eggs together in a bowl until uniform in color. Heat a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat and add butter to melt. Cook the eggs for 30 seconds while stirring with a rubber spatula, then remove the pan from teh heat for 30 seconds while stirring. Keep repeating this 30 seconds on the heat and 30 seconds off while stirring the whole time until the eggs are just set but still creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Top the hot latkes with eggs, pico de gallo, avocado and Doña Sauce or whatever you like! Eat!
Doña Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound jalapeños
- 12 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup neutral oil
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- ½ tsp salt or to taste
Instructions
- Pre-heat your broiler to high with a rack on the very top. Spread the jalapeños evenly on a baking sheet and toss in a little oil and broil until charred on all sides.
- Place the jalapeños in an air-tight container or bowl covered with plastic wrap and let sit until cool. Meanwhile, lower the broiler to low and place the garlic on a baking sheet and broil until browned.
- Peel the skin off the jalapeños and remove the tops. If you want your salsa less spicy, remove all or part of the seeds and veins.
- Blend the jalapeños and garlic in a blender. Then drizzle in oil while blending until smooth. I don't have a fancy blender so mine didn't get as smooth, but still delicious. Blend in lime juice to taste. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
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