My Hanukkah gift to the blogosphere: (courtesy of my daughter Alli who included it in her story “The Fireball” for Earthbound Farm)
MY FAMILY’S AMAZING POTATO LATKE RECIPE
(Not my shot but close to how mine look) Courtesy of Google images
7 medium-sized potatoes, skins on
1 large onion, peeled
2 tablespoons matzo meal
2 eggs, separated
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
Oil for cooking (canola)
Applesauce, and sour cream for serving
COOKING TIP: Preheat the oil while you’re preparing the ingredients, since it takes time to get to the high temperature needed for frying.
Place a strainer into a LARGE bowl, and into that grate the potatoes and the onion (leave the skin on the potatoes, but wash them well). Mix together. Using clean hands, press the potato and onion mixture into the strainer to drain the liquid.
Discard the liquid from the bowl, and dump the potato and onion from the strainer into the bowl. Add the egg yolks, matzo meal, salt, and pepper. Mix together. Beat the egg whites until they form hard peaks, and then fold them into the mixture as well.
Place large spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the hot oil to form pancakes 2-3 inches around. Let the latkes cook until crispy and brown, and then flip them over. Repeat until both sides are as crispy and brown as desired. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels. Serve with applesauce and sour cream. (And Lipitor)
Happy Hanukkah!
P.S. Don’t tell Alli— but a few years ago, I discovered they taste just almost as great without the extra work of separating the whites.
The strainer is Alli’s invention–I would never have thought of something so clever.
After becoming a writer, artist, TV journalist, mother and breast cancer survivor----I realize nothing turns out the way we expect. So I blog about handling the big and little things — with humor, humanity, and hope.
Just shopping for latke ingredients now. I can’t wait to use the strainer trick. So smart!!!
Oh what perfect timing. I thought I remembered the SJ Mercury recipe saying to squeeze out the potatoes in a cheesecloth, and was going to look that up – but this recipe looks great. I also never peel potatoes, and thought about it but now I don’t have to
My question – better to let raw potatoe sit too long or reheat cooked latkes? Or hire someone to make them while I socialiaze 
Here’s a “genius” idea from someone at the Miami Herald for cooks like you and me — use frozen shredded potatoes! Takes half the work out of it.
Myra: So glad the timing worked. Alli will be thrilled that an accomplished cook likes her idea.
Nicole: Personally I think nothing beats fresh cooked. I’d let raw potatoes sit rather than reheat. I’ve done that for years when I cooked them at school.
Julie: Since I cook so rarely, and cook latkes once a year–I go for purity. Have recently started using a cuisinart– though for years I’ve shredded by hand—could have added blood to the recipe. LOL.
well darryle they sure look better than the frozen latkes at trader joes.