Potato Latkes and Chanukah Foods

Chanukah is actually a minor holiday, but has grown (especially in America) because of its proximity to other holidays celebrated in the winter. Traditionally, gifts are reserved for children, and they are small gifts of coins (called Hanukkah gelt) or candy or both chocolate coins

Different families have different traditions. Some give out a single gift each night. Others hand out gifts all at once at a big family gathering. When my cousins were small, my aunt started her own tradition (which my mom and I "stole"). She bought silly presents that spelled out the word C-H-A-N-U-K-A-H.

She usually does food, but it can be anything. The key is that it's not something you'd normally give as a gift and it has to make the person who gets it smile.

Cis for cocoa

His for Honey

A is for Applesauce

Nis for Nuts

U (this is the tough one) for Umbrella

Kfor Ketchup

Afor Aspirin

H for Hair Clip

4 medium potatoes
1 medium onion
2 eggs
1/2 cup matzah meal (you can also use bread crumbs or potato starch)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. each salt and black pepper (more or less to taste)
canola oil (enough to almost, but not quite, cover the frying latkes)

Shred the potatoes with a food processor or potato ricer. If you feel really ambitious (or strong) use a hand grater. Pour the grated potatoes into a bowl. Blot with a paper towel to remove excess liquid.

Add the eggs and mix well. Slowly add the matzoh meal (or bread crumbs or even potato starch - though you may need a bit more), Mix that all together until it has a consistency similar to dough. If you did a good job of draining the potatoes, you may need fewer bread crumbs than the recipe calls for. The important thing is that the mixture holds together.

Now add the baking powder, salt and pepper and mix well. The more well-drained the mixture is, the less bread crumbs you will need. Add the baking powder, salt, pepper, and mix it thoroughly until all the ingredients are blended together.

The key to successful potato latkes is to work quickly. If the mixture sits too long, it will turn black (it tastes OK, but it looks really unpleasant).

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Scoop out the batter and form it into patties (roughly 3 or 4 inches/7.5-10 cm) in diameter. When the oil is hot, start frying your pancakes. You can test it by adding a few drops of water to the pan. If they sizzle, it's ready.

Cook them in small batches, a few at a time. When they're nice and brown on both sides, remove them from the pan and set them to drain on paper towels.

Serve with sour cream or applesauce.

Potato latkes don't reheat or microwave well (so you have an excuse to eat them all at once)!

You can vary this recipe by using zucchini, carrots, scallions or other veggies in place of, or in addition to, the potatoes. You may need to adjust the number of eggs and the amount of matzoh meal you use.

Image thanks to cck