Sweet Potato Latkes

Fans of traditional potato pancakes can still enjoy this crisp fried favorite while eating Paleo. All you need to do is swap potatoes with sweet potatoes. Latkes originated in the Mediterranean and were made from cheese and fried in olive oil. However, today’s popular potato latke, whose name in Yiddish means “  little oily,”  comes to us from the Ashkenazi Jews of Eastern Europe in the 1800s. To avoid famine after repeated crop failures in the region, Catherine the Great ordered the planting of potatoes instead of grain. In keeping with the tradition of eating oily foods on Hanukkah, the potato latke was born. Our recipe uses healthy coconut oil for frying but chicken fat (schmaltz), duck fat and olive oil all work wonderfully. This Sweet Potato Latkes recipe is made even better when served with homemade applesauce.