« Recipe: Potato Pancakes {Latkes} »

Potato Pancakes

Yield will depends on how large you make them; one batch should yield approximately 12 small or 6 medium size pancakes. The recipe can be easily doubled or tripled.

Ingredients

1 pound russet (baking) potatoes

1 small onion

1/4 c matzo meal (can substitute flour)

salt and pepper to taste

schmaltz, duck fat or neutral vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

Grate the potato and onions* and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. I find wrapping the grated vegetables in a flour-sack towel and wringing out the liquid works the best. Place in a large bowl when finished.

Beat the egg and add to the bowl with the grated vegetables. Add salt, pepper and enough matzo meal (or flour) to bind. 

Add approximately 2 Tbsp schmaltz/oil to a large skillet (a cast-iron pan works particularly well). Drop in spoonfuls of batter and gently press down with the back of the spatula. Cook until latkes are golden brown, approximately 3 minutes per side.  Drain on paper towels. Continue with remaining batter, adding more schmaltz/oil as needed.

Frying latkes is a labor of love and in my experience can be time consuming! You can keep the cooked pancakes warm in the oven while frying up more.

*I like the potatoes and onions coursely grated. If you use a food processor, the process literally takes a minute. Some people (my grandmother included) use the finest side of a box grater, which results in a finer textured pancake.