Pork Latke Bites

I know what you’re thinking – pork and latkes? Not kosher. No, not kosher if you’re Jewish and eat kosher, but super duper kosher for your belly if you’re not! Several years ago I was hosting a cocktail party and I thought, the problem with cocktail or appetizer parties is there is never enough food to really fill anyone up. You eat your body weight in veggies and dip and cheese squares, but there isn’t anything that mimics a “meal.” I thought, what if I make a miniature “meat and potato” appetizer that feels like a meal, but has the elegance and flavor of an appetizer? Enter Pork Latke Bites!

These little bites are every bit as delicious as they sound with juicy and flavorful pork tenderloin roasted with rosemary, on top of a crispy and filling mini latke, topped with sweet and tangy cherry jelly. I promise you can’t make these as fast as your guests will eat them! I like cooking with pork because it’s a lot like chicken: on it’s own it doesn’t have a lot of flavor, so it plays well with others! What I mean by that is pork easily takes on other flavors, which actually make it taste even better! I really like pork with rosemary and fruit – pork loves fruit! In this recipe I use cherry jelly, but you could use any type of chutney like plum or even pineapple, blackberry or apricot jelly, or even a mango salsa for a different spin.

Watch the video of me making these delicious bites, then find the recipe below! Bon Appetit!

Ingredients

1 whole pork tenderloin, trimmed

3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

3 small russet baking potatoes, peeled

2 scallions, thinly sliced plus more for garnish

1-2 eggs, lightly beaten

Canola Oil

Cherry preserves

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350F. Place a baking rack over a sheet pan, and place the pork on the rack. Using paper towels, pat the pork dry so it will roast instead of steam. Place the rosemary sprigs down the center of the pork and tie with kitchen twine. Coat the pork and rosemary with olive oil and generously salt and pepper on all sides. Roast the pork for 30-45 minutes until the internal temperature is 145F for rare, or 155F for well done. Remove from the oven, cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, assemble the latke mixture. Grate the potatoes either on a box grater, or with a food processor fitted with the grating attachment. Place the grated potatoes on a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out as much of the water as you can. Place into a large bowl and add 1 egg, beaten, 1 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, and the scallions. Mix with your hands. The mixture should hold together slightly. If it’s not sticky enough, add an additional beaten egg.

To cook the latkes, heat about 1/4″ of canola oil in a cast iron skillet, or heavy bottomed pan. Be very careful! With your hands, form small latkes about the size of the diameter of the pork, and fry for 3-4 minutes on each side until browned and crispy and cooked through. Working in batches, fry the latkes and place them on a baking rack set over a sheet pan in a 200F oven to keep them hot.

When the latkes are fried and the pork is rested, thinly slice the pork. Place a slice of pork on each latke, top with a dollop of cherry preserves and plate. Sprinkle the plate with the remaining scallions and enjoy!