Potato Pancakes (Latkes) for Holiday Celebrations
 Courtesy of AllRecipes.com 

 

Potato pancakes (latkes) are traditionally served during Hannukah celebrations. Latkes is a Yiddish word that loosely translates to “little oily things.” Potato pancakes are not exclusive to Jewish cuisine. Germans have their own variation called “kartoffelpuffer.” The Irish have “boxty,” which are typically made with a combination of shredded and mashed potato before being fried. Many potato pancake recipes are similar, contain few ingredients, and fry up in a flash. Chefs recommend draining the shredded potato prior to cooking so that the pancakes fry up crispy, and so they are not soggy, or break apart. 

Ingredients (Serves 12)
3 large potatoes, peeled and shredded
1 small onion, shredded
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or as needed
½ cup vegetable oil

Instructions:

  1. Place the potatoes and onion into a bowl, and stir in eggs, salt, and flour as needed to make the mixture hold together. With wet hands, scoop up about 1⁄3 cup of the mixture per patty, and form into flat round or oval shapes.
  2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, and gently place the patties into the hot oil. Fry until the bottoms are golden brown and crisp, 5 to 8 minutes, then flip with a spatula and fry the other side until golden.
  3. Line a colander or strainer with 2 paper towels and drain the cooked latkes in the colander. 
  4. Serve hot with sour cream and applesauce.