Potato Latkes (Fried Pancakes)

As I said in my previous post about Hanukkah, A Bit About Hanukkah & Some History, traditionally we eat some fried foods on Hanukkah to remind us of the miracle of oil.

So we are going to kick off some Hanukkah recipes over the next few days with Gillian's recipe (Food, Recipes & Little Known Facts From The Past) for Latkes.

(Fried foods should always be eaten in moderation!)

Potato Latkes

Ingredients:

1. 6 medium potatoes
2. ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda or baking powder
3. 2 eggs
4. Enough flour to bind mixture (keep a bit extra nearby, to reduce fluid build-up while cooking) - Put aside one cup of flour here but be careful to add the flour slowly when making the batter so as not to add too much or too little. This is a difficult recipe to judge the exact quantity of flour needed.
   
5. Salt and pepper (or lemon juice instead of salt)
   

Method:

1. Grate Potatoes.
2. Mix potatoes, baking soda, eggs and flour together. (Remember to add the flour very slowly and stir batter. You need just enough to bind the batter (meaning it will get thick and gooey but not too thick!
3. Fry (deep or shallow, depending on how healthy you feel) in a good vegetable oil.
4. Serve hot with sour cream or applesauce.

Gillian further adds:
My version: replace all or some of the salt salt with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and add a generous pinch of chili powder.

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Easy, except for judging the "binding of the mixture". Latkes are easy creations. However, the best ones are crisp on the outside (yummy!). After you fry, put them on a towel paper roll and let them sit for a minute so the excess oil will drain out.

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Posted On: Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen

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Tags: Cooking, Baking, Recipe, Cooking Related Appliances, Humorous Stories, Ingredients, Kitchen Appliance, Parve (Meat or Milk) Recipe, Kitchen Utensils, Kosher, Meat Recipe, Milk Recipe, Kosher Home, Spices, Single Parenting, Vegetarian, Cooking Stories, Hanukkah