Siena Farms Turnip & Potato Latkes with Apple Amba & Maple Labne
Siena Farms Turnip & Potato Latkes with Apple Amba & Maple Labne
Photo Credit : Amy TraversoIn a season five episode of Weekends with Yankee, Amy meets well-known farmer Chris Kurth, whose crops are a source of inspiration for his wife, Ana Sortun, the James Beard Award-winning chef-owner of Boston restaurants Sarma, Oleana, and Sofra. Later, Amy and Ana prepare this fresh-from-the-garden meal of crispy Macomber turnip and potato latkes, served with apple amba and maple labne. It’s a tasty new way to enjoy this classic dish.
Ingredients
4 cups grated Macomber turnip or kohlrabi
4 cups grated potato
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 apples, peeled and diced
1 leek, white part only, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground fenugreek
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 cup Labne, or thick whole milk Greek yogurt
4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Maras pepper to taste
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus 2 cups to fry
Instructions
Place grated turnip and potato in a bowl and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons salt and stir in flour. Let sit for 10 minutes. Squeeze as much water as possible out in small batches between your palms. Divide into 6-8 equal pieces in balls. Place each ball on a round plastic lid or on a surface and press as flat as you can.
Using a deep sided saute pan, heat 1 cup olive oil in a pan and add a few latke to the pan without crowding. Fry until one side is golden brown, about 4 minutes and flip to do the other side, adding more oil as needed. You should have about ¼ inch of oil on the bottom of the pan most of the time so that the lake are almost deep fried.
Drain on paper towel and sprinkle lightly with salt. Keep warm in a low oven.
Sautee the apple and the leeks in 2 tablespoons of oil until the leeks are tender and the apples just begin to soften. Add 1 cup water and the spices and cook until everything is tender. Remove from the heat and season with ½ teaspoon of salt, lemon juice, Dijon mustard and a spoonful of maple syrup. Set aside
In a small mixing bowl, combine the labne, maple syrup and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and whisk to combine
Serve the latke with a spoonful of amba and a spoonful of labne and sprinkle with maras pepper.