Simple, but the best traditional latkes. She always threw in a little of this and a little of that, but when pushed for exact quantities, here's what I got-and they are delicious!
For a crowd-serves about 12
- 15 big white potatoes of your choice
- 3 large or 4 medium brown or yellow onions
- 6 large eggs
- 1 cup flour or matzo meal
- 3 tbl salt
- 1 ½ tbl white pepper
- Peel potatoes and place in cold water to retain color
- Grate onions and potatoes in batches, squeezing out and draining excess water as you go, but don't take out the water from the last batch
- Add the eggs and mix
- Add flour, salt and pepper and mix well
- To cook the latkes, drop large spoonfuls into a pan of ¼ inch of very hot oil. Using the spoon, quickly and gently press the potato mixture to form a flat oval shape, then loosen from the bottom if it sticks slightly. Turn once, cooking until each side is golden brown. Remove to drain on a baking sheet covered in paper towels
- Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200 degree oven
- To make ahead, freeze latkes in a single layer, then place frozen pancakes in a plastic freezer bag. To reheat, place on a cookie sheet in a single layer and heat for 7 minutes at 375 degrees
Recipe by Shari Appleman, Westport, CT, printed with permission
