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.