Lynn's Latkes

Latkes are a Jewish dish traditionally eaten during Hannukah, but I eat them year-round. I'm not even Jewish and I love these; you will too! This is not a traditional recipe, though I think it's close. If you have one from your bubbie, please post it! Heck, bubbies are usually great cooks, post ALL her recipes!

You need:
3 potatoes
1 onion
1 egg
1/2 cup flour (possibly more)
Oil and butter/margarine for frying
Salt/pepper
Sour cream
Applesauce
Table full of hungry people!

This is one of those unfortunate recipes where the cook eats last, so be sure to reserve some for yourself.

Grate the potatoes, skins and all, after giving them a good scrub. Grate or finely chop the onion, after peeling it. I usually run them both through the food processor; makes for much faster latkes. Shake a little salt over the top of the resulting mass; let it sit for about 15 minutes or so. The potatoes will probably darken; don't worry about it.

OK, you've got the grated potato/onion in one bowl. Get a bigger bowl. Squeeze the liquid out of the potato/onion stuff one handful at a time over the first bowl. Put the squeezed-out potato/onion in the bigger bowl. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP. What do you do with the potato water? If you're thrifty, save it for soup base in the freezer. Otherwise, throw it out.

Now, in the bigger bowl full of squeezed-out potato/onion stuff, add the egg and the flour and mix well. It should be slightly goopy, not runny or stiff. If it's too stiff, add another egg, if it's too runny, add more flour. Shake a little salt and pepper in there and give it one more stir.

Heat up a good-size frying pan on medium-high heat with a good amount of oil and/or butter/margarine. I use half and half olive oil and butter. You don't want so much you'll be deep-frying, but you don't want to just grease the surface either. OK, OK, try 2 tablespoons of each to start. You may have to add more later, so have some to hand.

When it's good and hot, start putting in the latke batter in pancakes a little smaller than your palm, I'd say. When they're brown on one side, flip them over and brown the other.

Some people blot them on a paper towel before serving. Serve them IMMEDIATELY out of the pan with sour cream (or yogurt) and applesauce, preferably homemade applesauce to the table full of hungry people. They will gobble them down and call for more, so keep cooking! This is why latkes are best served at the kitchen table, also more company for the cook. Save some for yourself, remember! You'll be hungry when you're done.

Variations: Substitute a couple of carrots or zucchini for one or more of the potatoes. Any kind of root-y or starchy vegetable--sweet potato, sunchoke--can be shredded into latke batter, just make sure that there's at least the onion. Do not do this on Hannukah or you will have a table full of disappointed hungry people expecting their bubbie's latkes, and bubbie did not use zucchinis or sunchokes in latkes.