Potato Latkes From The Bagel
Last night, Jews around the world lit candles, spun dreidels and ate a boatload of potato pancakes, commemorating the miracle of oil that lasted eight days, after the destruction of their temple. Latkes, as they’re called, are one of my favorite memories as a child, because it was a time when my mom could cook and not really mess things up in the kitchen. What I mean is, they’re practically foolproof. The key is squeezing out all of the liquid before you fry, in order to keep them crispy. You don’t need a reason to make them of course, which is why I’m giving you a little recipe here in case you want to make them on your own. If not, then just head over to one of the two Bagel locations in Chicago, and have them do all of the heavy frying for you. Don’t forget the sour cream and applesauce. Happy Hannukah (or is it Chanukah)?
Incidentally, this is my final post of 2011. I’m taking the next week off, and will be back here with some delicious, crave-worthy posts on January 2nd. Happy New Year everyone.
POTATO PANCAKES
Ingredients
- 4 large potatoes
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ground black pepper to taste
- 2 cups vegetable oil for frying
Directions
- Finely grate potatoes with onion into a large bowl. Drain off any excess liquid.
- Mix in egg, salt, and black pepper. Add enough flour to make mixture thick, about 2 to 4 tablespoons all together.
- Turn oven to low, about 200 degrees F
- Heat 1/4 inch oil in the bottom of a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Drop two or three 1/4 cup mounds into hot oil, and flatten to make 1/2 inch thick pancakes. Fry, turning once, until golden brown.
- Transfer to paper towel lined plates to drain, and keep warm in low oven until serving time. Repeat until all potato mixture is used.
