potato and beet latkes with horseradish sour cream and caviar

I grew up in a pseudo-Jewish family, meaning we celebrated some of the holidays (the ones with the least amount of long-winded reading and fasting), and I was forced to go to temple until I was thirteen. My Jewish upbringing was less about religion and more about culture. Where there’s culture, there’s food, and frankly, in my family, it was always about the food. Latkes are a traditional dish served during Hanukkah. I came up with this dish by basically taking every food that appeared on our holiday table and putting it into one dish: grated beets reminded me of borscht, smoked fi sh reminded me of New York Jewish delis, horseradish reminded me of maror that we put on matzoh during Passover, and caviar reminded me of that time I caught my grandmother eating some out of a small jar while standing at the refrigerator when she thought no one was watching her.

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, beets, carrots, and onion. Stir in the salt and let the vegetables sit for 10 minutes. (The salt will help bring out a lot of the moisture.) Over the sink, squeeze the vegetables with your hands to drain the liquid. Add the egg and fl our and season with pepper to taste. Form a small amount into a tester latke (about 1 inch wide and fl attened with your f i ngers so it is thin). Place some paper towels on a baking sheet.

Step 2

Heat a medium cast-iron (or reliably nonstick) pan over medium-high heat. Add a tiny amount of oil and fry the tester latke until it is golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the baking sheet, and when the latke is cool, taste it for seasoning. Season the whole mixture if necessary with more salt. Form the rest of the latkes and fry them in batches in about ¼ cup oil, adding more as needed.

Step 3

In a small bowl, mix the sour cream with the horseradish and set aside.

Step 4

Top each latke with a small amount of smoked trout, a small dollop of horseradish cream, a little caviar, and parsley leaves. Serve immediately.