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potato latke platter

Shirley Edidin's Potato Latkes for Hannukah

Ingredients

  • 6-8 Medium white Russet potatoes or 4 large ones
  • 1 Medium white or yellow onion If you'd like, its tradition to add onions in; but I now like the latkes better without the onion - Your call.
  • 3-4 large, local eggs
  • 1/3 cup Cracker meal or traditional matzoh meal
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • homemade shmaltz or vegetable oil for frying as needed

Instructions

  1. Peel the potatoes and keep them in cold water.

  2. Alternately grate the onions and potatoes into a big bowl. This is now easily done in the processor. (It's a lot easier on the fingertips than the old box grater my mom used to use!)

  3. Blend the grated potato mixture with the matzoh or cracker meal, eggs, salt and pepper.

  4. Heat one inch of oil in the bottom of a large frying pan.

  5. The easiest way to do this next step is to use your hands.

    Scoop up a small handful of the potato mix and give it a squeeze to release any excess moisture.

  6. Drop the potato batter into the hot fat in the pan and repeat the process to make several pancakes at the same time.

  7. Fry until golden brown, turning once or twice. Drain on several thicknesses of paper towels as my mom originally did or even easier is to drain the potato latkes on a wire rack.

  8. Serve warm as is and enjoy. Or, if you would like, top with ketchup, applesauce, sour cream or smoked salmon.

Recipe Notes

 

If I am making a big batch of latkes I now love making them in my Carolina Cooker 15 inch cast iron pan - plenty of room to cook up 6-8 latkes at a time. Plus its a pan you'll use over and over again for browning and baking chicken, pork and seafood and  all of your one dish meals.