Carrot Latkes

March 4, 2020

Chef Laura Rodriguez’s crispy latkes use potatoes and carrots.

Laura Rodriguez is a busy woman. In addition to her position as the executive chef and owner of Crème Catering, she is also the personal chef to Tyler Hubbard of the country duo Florida Georgia Line. With all that, she somehow finds time to teach cooking classes in and around Nashville. This drive and hustling entrepreneurial spirit has always been with her since her humble start as a dishwasher in a cooking school. From there, she went on to work in restaurants in Chicago and then to open her own catering company in 2012

Laura has a passion for all food. She learned to cook when she lived in Italy and studied Asian cuisine when she lived in South Korea. In 2014, Laura and her family moved to Tennessee to start an organic farm, Mulberry Ridge, and practice sustainable living, where her love for organic farm-to-table cuisine continues to grow as she connects with local farmers and artisans in her community today.

Laura’s Tips For Smoky Carrot Latkes With Chive Aioli
“I created this appetizer for an event we catered last spring to utilize the dozens of carrots we harvested on our farm, though any combination of root vegetables you have on hand will work. To impart a good smoky flavor to these latkes, cook them in rendered local bacon fat and season them with paprika and smoked Maldon sea salt. (Or, if you’re Kosher or vegetarian, pick up a bottle of Smoked Olive Oil from Green Door Gourmet to use instead.)

Living on a farm teaches you to waste nothing. Including those wild chives growing in your yard right now. So, to brighten up the dish, go outside and grab a handful for the sauce. Take sustainability one step further and chop up the carrot tops for garnish!”

Ingredients

1cup mayonnaise

2teaspoons lemon juice

6cloves garlic, minced

3tablespoons chopped wild or store bought chives

splash of water

sea salt to taste

6medium carrots, grated

2medium red potatoes, grated

1/2large red onion, grated

2eggs

1teaspoon garlic powder

1tablespoon smoky paprika

2teaspoons Maldon Smoked Sea Salt

pinchground black pepper

bacon fat or smoked olive oil for pan frying

wild chives, sliced thin for garnish

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 200F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. To prepare aioli, place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

3. To prepare latkes, thoroughly squeeze liquid out of shredded vegetables (yielding about 3/4 cup liquid) and discard liquid. Place in large mixing bowl. Add eggs and next four ingredients and mix well.

4. Cook silver dollar sized latkes in a hot pan coated with bacon fat or smoked olive oil until lightly browned and crispy around the edges (about 45 seconds per side).

5. Remove latkes from pan and place on sheet. Keep warm in the oven while you cook the remaining batter.

6. Serve latkes drizzled with wild chive aioli. Garnish with a sprinkle of smoked paprika, smoked salt, and sliced chives or carrot tops.