7 Dec, 2009

Who Doesn’t Love Latkes

Posted by Stacy

Ask 10 people the best way to make latkes (potato pancakes) for Hanukkah and you’ll likely get 10 different answers.

I like to make them fresh so they are nice and crisp. I have not found one good latke recipe that can be made ahead so they are not soggy.
Latkes are traditional fare for Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights that begins at sundown Dec. 11. Many holiday foods such as latkes and donuts are fried in oil, a symbolic ingredient that represents the one-day’s supply of oil that burned for eight days and nights when Maccabees rededicated the temple in Jerusalem, taking it back after fighting Syrian soldiers.

I like to serve them as I make them.

This is the recipe I usually use. I found it in a cookbook I purchased as part of a fundraiser for my synagogue. You know what I am talking about. The type of cookbook where they ask you to submit your favorite recipes. I find they are the easiest and most reliable.

POTATO LATKES RECIPE
6 medium-size potatoes
1 onion
2 eggs lightly beaten
3 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

Peel potatoes and onions. Grate by hand . Remove liquid. Add the remaining ingredients. Heat vegetable oil in a fairly large frying pan. Drop by spoonful.
turn when brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot with applesauce or sour cream.