When I was a personal chef, a family for whom I worked often requested latkes, and though I hadn’t made them before, I totally fell in love with them. When I added Parmesan and basil to the mixture, they were even better. The Parmesan melts into a brittle web, like a frico, making these extra crisp and delicious.

　　

Ingredients

4 to 6 servings

　　2 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons for frying

　　1 medium onion, chopped

　　1 garlic clove, minced

　　1 teaspoon salt

　　1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

　　2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled

　　1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

　　1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

　　

Step 1

Warm the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until tender and fragrant, about another 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the onion mixture to a large bowl and set aside.

　　

Step 2

Meanwhile, grate the potatoes in a food processor using the grating blade. Dump the grated potatoes onto a clean kitchen towel, roll the towel up, and squeeze over the sink to extract as much water from the potatoes as possible. Add the potatoes to the bowl with the onion mixture along with the Parmesan cheese and the basil. Stir to combine and season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

　　

Step 3

Warm 1 tablespoon of the remaining olive oil over high heat in the same pan you used to cook the onions. When the pan is hot but not smoking, add the potato mixture. Use a spatula to press the mixture down firmly and evenly into the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the pancake until the bottom is golden brown and it can move in the pan, 12 to 15 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium-low if the pancake seems to be browning too fast in places. Slide the pancake onto a large plate, then cover the pancake with a second plate and invert. Turn the heat under the pan back up to high and add a bit more oil if needed. When the pan is hot, slide the pancake back into the skillet, cooking it until the second side is golden and the pancake is cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes longer. Slide the pancake onto a serving platter, cut in wedges, and serve.

　　Reprinted with permission from Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites by Giada De Laurentiis. Copyright © 2008 by Giada De Laurentiis. Published by Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Giada De Laurentiis is the star of Food Network's Everyday Italian and Behind the Bash. She attended the Cordon Bleu in Paris, and then worked in a variety of Los Angeles restaurants, including Wolfgang Puck's Spago, before starting her own catering and private-chef company, GDL Foods. The granddaughter of movie producer Dino De Laurentiis, Giada was born in Rome and grew up in Los Angeles, where she now lives.