Pen-Elayne on the Web

Oh, Them Golden Latkes

Melanie Mattson has done a brief overview of Chanukah and included her recipe for potato pancakes (aka latkes), a Chanukah staple. She's reminded me, bless her heart, that I promised to share mine (actually my mom's). So, since I went out and bought all the ingredients last night and am primed to cook 'em today, here you go:

Ingredients

5 potatoes, grated
1 carrot, grated
1 onion, grated
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation and Cooking

Grate vegetables, let sit for 10 minutes. Drain. Add egg, bread crumbs (enough to hold), salt and pepper. Fry in oil on top of stove until cooked through (at least two minutes on each side).

Yep, it's that simple, but also deceptively time-consuming. Until such time as I get one of these, I do my grating the old-fashioned way - tediously by hand. Mom says it's not real latkes unless there's a drop of blood involved from accidentally scraping one's fingers against the grater, but you know, I honestly think I could live without that. Then after it's all grated and I've let it sit, I've needed to drain the stuff at least five times, shifting from one paper-towel-lined bowl to another then back again. And of course by the time I've fit the last pancakes into the frying pan the first ones (at least the ones I haven't scarfed up yet) are getting cold. So it's a tricky balance. But you know something? I'm salivating already. I think this year I'm going to add a few scallions to the mixture, as Robin and I both like scallion pancakes. Bon appétit!

Update: Lesley has posted her latke recipe too, even pointing to someone else who has as well! Must be something in the air (yeah, the smell of latkes!) And she has some very nice Chanukah posts, so do check out the whole blog if you've got the time.