This is an authentic Eastern-European recipe, handed down through my grandmothers and perfected by my mom, who, happily, lived to see the transition from the chopping bowl and blade (my arm aches just to think about it) to the invention of the food processor.

The following is the basic ratio, which can be multiplied indefinitely.

A triple batch of the amounts below would serve about 6 people as a side dish.

Ingredients & Equipment

2 medium potatoes, (about the size of your fist, or equivalent amount of smaller or larger ones. I use Yukon Golds)

1 medium onion,

1 egg

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp or more salt to taste

pepper to taste

1-4 Tbsp of flour, as needed for the batter

High temp vegetable oil for frying. (You’ll need more than you think you do)

Sour Cream & Applesauce for condiments

A large deep frying pan

1. First, peel the onion(s) and chop in the food processor. Leave it coarse, but small, not liquefied and not too large. Set aside in a bowl

2. Peel the potatoes. Cut them into small enough chunks to process in the food processor. If you are making large amounts, keeping the peeled potatoes under water will keep them from oxidizing.

3. Process the potatoes as follows. (Depending on the volume you are making, you may need to do this in several batches.)

·        Fill the processor with potato chunks and pulse till they are coarsely chopped, but not liquefied. No big chunks. Think very grainy batter.

•   Have a large piece of cheesecloth ready, double thick, and turn the batter out into the cheesecloth and wrap closed. Use your hands to squeeze as much water as you can out of the potato mash. Keep squeezing! I like to do this over a mesh strainer placed over a bowl or directly into the sink. (Later you’ll see the potato starch  residue at the bottom of the bowl or sink. Dispose.)

     Open the cheesecloth and turn the mash into a large bowl. Keep doing batches till all the potato mash is processed.

•   Add the onions, the egg, the baking powder, salt & pepper. Mix by hand with a large cooking spoon. Then add flour by the tablespoon—just enough to hold the batter together. As you fry it up, you may see the batter getting watery. Add more flour, but not too much as it will toughen them. If they hold together as you fry them, you’re ok.

4. Fry them up! Pour about 1 to 1.5 inches of oil in a good frying pan and heat the oil very hot. You can test the oil by dropping a little batter in. It should instantly bubble. It always takes longer than you think to heat properly, and like pancakes, the first few are usually a loss.

Use a big wooden spoon or serving spoon to drop large spoonfuls of batter into the oil. Let them stay on that side until you see the edges really browned. Flip them over, and they need only another few minutes. Turn them out onto a platter lined with either brown paper bags or paper towels to absorb all the excess oil. Keep warm in a low oven if needed.

5. Latkes are traditionally served with sour cream and applesauce on the side. They make a great side dish or a meal in and of themselves with a salad.

Mom used to make a giant batch of batter, enough to last the eight nights. Her potato batter didn’t oxidize to green the way so many other people’s did because of her process of covering the remaining batter with an inch of flour on top in between uses. This absorbed the oxidation overnight in the fridge. The next day, she’d scrape off that layer and the batter was still fresh—and looked it.

Chag Sameach! (Happy Holiday!)

©2009 Rev. Nettie M. Spiwack

http://www.nettiespiwack.com