Latke Love

Most people have special holiday treats they look forward to all year. It might be so decadent, so buttery, so sweet that we set "do not eat before" deadlines. One friend loves almonds covered in toffee and chocolate. Another waits patiently for homemade truffles. My thing is latkes. For a quasi-Unitarian from Maine, this might not seem like the most logical choice. I was 19 the first time I tried them, at an IHOP of all places. It was an inauspicious beginning to my love affair.

Once I was living on my own, I tried a lot of recipes, and consequently made a lot of terrible, half-cooked potato pancakes. Then came the winter alone on the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico. With not much to do other than listen to the wind tear at my roof, I made batches of latkes until I had perfection. I don't use a recipe anymore, but if I did, this is what it would look like.

Latkes

1 large onion

2 medium russet potatoes

2 medium yellow potatoes

3 eggs

3 or 4 tablespoons of flour

1.5 teaspoons of salt

pepper

oil

I used one of my own purple potatoes for this batch.

1. Pour oil in a large skillet. It should be about 1/2 inch to an inch deep. Heat the oil slowly over medium heat.

2. Meanwhile, scrub the potatoes. Then shred potatoes and onion in a food processor. I prefer the smallest shredded setting.

3. Put shredded potato and onion in a bowl. Add flour, salt, eggs, and pepper. Mix well.

4. Test to see if the oil is ready by dropping a few shreds of potato into the skillet. If it bubbles and floats, the oil is ready.

5. Spoon small mounds of latkes into the pan. I prefer mine to be 2 - 4 inches wide.

6. Cook over medium heat until bottoms are golden brown. This usually takes 3 - 5 minutes. Then flip, and repeat on the other side. Watch carefully near the end. Once they turn a little dark, they taste burnt.

7. It's helpful to place latkes on paper towels after they come out of the skillet. Also, I keep batches warm by placing them on a cookie sheet in the oven on some very low setting

Serve with sour cream, applesauce, and (my favorite) Meyer Lemon Cranberry Sauce.