Ranking Latke Condiments

Merry Chrismukkah! The other night was the last night of Hannukah, but my family didn't do much to celebrate. We made up for it a little today by making latkes for Christmas Eve. I thought it'd be fun to rank/review some of the things you can put on your latkes, so without further ado here we go:

Ketchup

I guess this one makes sense in theory. You eat ketchup with other potato-based foods, why not latkes? Unfortunately, it's not very good in practice. The ketchup overpowers most of the flavor of the latke, so you just feel like you're eating ketchup with a little bit of extra texture.

Verdict: 3/10

Nothing

Nothing wrong with eating your latke plain. Of course, that means your meal will only be as good as the latke itself. Latkes made from scratch are usually better than ones made from a box, and there're different recipes you can follow, so there's some variation there. Still, even if you're eating the best plain latke ever, I feel like I shouldn't rank literal nothingness that high.

Verdict: 5/10

Hot Sauce

I didn't try this one. I'm only bringing it up because my dad, who's not even Jewish, saw someone on Instagram putting hot sauce on their latkes and was just so appalled by it. I thought that was pretty funny. I don't mind spicy food, but I tend not to like hot sauce because I don't like vinegar, so I don't know if I'd like it on latkes or not. Maybe I'll have to try it next year?

Verdict: honorable mention/10

Sour Cream

I generally like sour cream. I think it's alright on latkes. It's not my favorite thing to put on them, but I'll have some if it's there. I think sometimes it can overpower the flavor of the latke if you're not too careful about portions, but I don't mind it as much as I do with ketchup, because sour cream better matches the flavor profile of a latke.

Verdict: 7/10

Apple Sauce

Latkes just feel so naked without apple sauce. The sweetness of the apple sauce balances with the sharp flavor of the onion and pepper from the latke. If you're eating them fresh out of the pan, then the coldness of the refrigerated apple sauce also helps cool it down.

Maybe a hot take, but I think apple sauce goes well with other potato-based food, too. Sometimes I like to dip my potato wedges in them. But I guess society just isn't ready for that yet.

Verdict: 9/10