
Happy Hannukah! Tonight we are celebrating with a true jewish feast: latkes! These Crispy Potato Pastrami Latkes are a step up from the traditional potato latke and oh my are they delicious!! Crispy shreds of potatoes reminiscent of hash browns that we fry until golden! Serve with a sweet and sour dipping sauce for the perfect finish.
For the first night of Hannukah we made Kosher Krispie Kreme Copycat Donuts…and sent a box with hubby off to base. He is serving in the army reserves for the Israel Defense Forces and asked that I make some donuts for the soldiers on base! He’s a cutie.

Tonight we are frying up these hearty latkes and getting out the colorful chocolate gelt! The addition of pastrami to these latkes makes them more of “real food”, and brings up the flavor level. Paired with white pepper in the seasonings and a delicious dipping sauce they are the perfect fun family dinner for the holiday.

Potato Pastrami Latkes
I know these are called pastrami latkes but you can use whichever deli meat you like the most! I have tried them with smoked shoulder and it was so delicious! Just make sure to choose a meat that isn’t raw, as these are not being cooked for very long.

Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce
While the oldie goldie sauces for latkes are applesauce and sour cream(huge debate there), today we are trying something new. New and improved! While I still love applesauce for a good ol’ latke, this sweet and sour sauce is really perfect for these meat pancakes.

My kids also loveeeee dipping food/things and if you want to make these on a big platter feel free to add a couple of their favorite sauces in there as well!
For this barbecue style sauce you will need a couple simple ingredients. Just mix and microwave for one minute to heat the sugar and serve!
What you need:
- brown sugar
- ketchup
- mustard
- apple cider vinegar
- sriracha

Latke Tips
For the best crispy potato pastrami latkes follow a couple tips!
1.SQUEEZE WATER FROM POTATOES. dry potatoes equal crispy latke! if you dont have a cheesecloth for this step you can use an old clean dish towel. I wouldn’t ruin a new one but this works great!

2.MAKE SURE OIL IS HOT. Before adding the latkes to fry, make sure the oil is nice and hot. This will prevent them from sticking to the pan and also make sure they get as crispy as possible! To check your oil you can place the end of a wooden spatula into it and see if little bubbles form around the wood-if they do you know it’s hot enough to fry!
If you try this recipe please give it a star rating below and be sure to add any of your special comments. Readers(and me!!) love hearing how things come out in your own kitchen. Happy cooking!

Crispy Potato Pastrami Latkes (with dipping sauce)
Ingredients
- 5-6 potatoes
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/8 tsp white pepper
- 1/4 cup potato starch or matzo meal
- 125- 250 gram pastrami/smoked deli meat (depending on how much meat you want in them!)
Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce:
- 2 Tbs brown sugar
- 4 Tbs ketchup
- 2 Tbs apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp mustard
- 2 tsp sriracha
other:
- oil, for frying
Instructions
Prep
- Scrub potatoes and remove any blemishes. If you want to peel them you can but I personally leave the peel on.
- Grate potatoes using a grater or the grate attachment of your stand mixer. Place into a cheesecloth and squeeze out all water. If you don't have a cheesecloth you can use an old clean dish towel!
- Transfer potatoes into a bowl and add egg, potato starch, and seasonings. Mix to combine well. Chop pastrami into small pieces and add to the potatoes. Mix again.
Fry
- Heat oil in a fry pan(I use a wide 10 inch cast iron skillet with 8 tablespoons of canola oil), until very hot.Place latkes into the pan in little mounds and press them down to flatten.Fry until golden, flip and fry the second side.
Sauce
- In a microwave safe bowl, combine sauce ingredients. Microwave for 1 minute. It will be bubbly and hot. Serve with the latkes immediately!
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