It’s not just potatoes that you can turn into these moreish fried cakes – just about any root veg will do the trick
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risp, savoury and satiating latkes are my idea of the perfect brunch and, rather than sticking to potatoes, I often make them with a mixture of root vegetables, using up whatever I have to hand – just 25-50g of any vegetable will make a latke – and adding some ground linseeds or flax, which gives breakfast some nutrition-boosting omega-3s. I usually have them with a poached egg for protein or apple compote and soya yoghurt.
This is a great way to use up any tired root vegetables lurking in the crisper drawer, and a recipe I come back to again and again. Latkes are a traditional Jewish potato cake that work really well made with other root vegetables as well. If I have a few different coloured vegetables, I will grate and mix the vegetables separately to make multicoloured latkes, but it’s much simpler to mix them all together.
I used carrot leaves to decorate this dish. They’re beautiful but bitter, so use sparingly. Herbs are optional, of course, but if you want to add some colour, fresh flat-leaf parsley or coriander will freshen it up no end, too. And sauerkraut, which I made for last week’s column, is another wonderful traditional accompaniment to latkes, not least because its sour twang cuts through the rich fried flavour of the veg cakes.
