Chef Stephen Grace (center) shows off his trophy to (l to r) the Throwdown’s emcee Linda Belt, Donna Edelstein of the Connecticut Jewish Ledger, Emanuel president Gail Weinstein and event chair Ira Henowitz.

Chef Stephen Grace of The Crown Market, West Hartford was named champion at the Connecticut Latke Throw Down, held on Dec. 4 at The Emanuel Synagogue in West Hartford.  Here is his winning recipe:

Variegated Spiced Latkes
Makes 15 – 20 latkes

1 sweet potato, pared (about 1 cup)
1 parsnip, pared (about 1/2 cup)
1 yellow onion (@1/2 cup)
2-3 russet potatoes (or yukon gold) (@2 cups)
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and grated (@1 oz)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh milled ground fennel seed
1/2 teaspoon fresh milled black pepper
2 eggs, beaten
3 ounces flour
peanut or other high smoke point oil

Hand grate the sweet potato, onion, and parsnip using the large holes into a large bowl first. Wash and scrub the russet potatoes, leaving the skins on. Remove any imperfections. Grate these last into the bowl with the other vegetables. Add the salt, pepper, fennel, and ginger. Let rest a few minutes. Using a colander, cheesecloth or your hands , wring all the excess moisture from the mix. Repeat, then return to the bowl. Mix in the beaten eggs and flour. Generously coat the bottom of a heavy pan with peanut oil (or other suitable oil). The oil need not be deeper than 1/8 inch (keep the depth as low as possible). If you prefer thicker latkes, use up to1/4 inch oil. Heat to medium high. Working in small batches ladle the mix to the heated pan to form 5-7 latkes with about a 3-inch diameter and about a 1/4 inch thickness after pressing down gently on the mix with a spatula. Fry each one on one side until golden brown, then flip and cook the other side. Vegetables should cook through, soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside. Drain on paper towels. Serve with sour cream or apple sauce.