Hanukah Chanukah Januca Hanukkah Menu: Latkes and Applesauce
No matter how you spell it, the upcoming holiday usually means latke or potato pancakes. Get ready for your Hanukah parties by canning applesauce in the fall when the apple harvest comes in. Serve the latkes with applesauce and sour cream.
- 3 medium russet or Idaho potatoes, scrubbed and peeled roughly, i.e. leave some peel on, then grate
- 1 egg beaten
- 2 T. matzo meal or flour
- salt
- optional: grated onions to taste, 3-4 T.
There are two tricks to producing crispy potato pancakes. First, you must squeeze the excess liquid from the potatoes after they are grated before they are mixed with the other ingredients. Second, they must be fried twice. The first time, the frying performs the same function blanching does for french fries. The second time, the pancakes crisp and turn a beautiful rich brown.
Grate the potatoes into a bowl and sprinkle lightly with salt. Grab a handful of potatoes between your hands and squeeze out excess water. Place squeezed potatoes into a clean dry bowl. Repeat with remaining potatoes until all have been squeezed. Add remaining ingredients. You may need to add more flour until the mixture binds together slightly.
Heat a large pan over medium high heat. Add canola oil and butter, 2/3 oil to 1/3 butter. When the oil is hot, almost smoking, add 1/4 C. of the potato mixture and flatten slightly with a spatula. Cook, turning occasionally until light golden brown. Remove from pan and place on top of paper towels on a plate. Cover each layer with a paper towel. You may do the recipe to this step early in the day you plan to serve the latkes.
When ready to eat , reheat pan over medium high heat with the same oil and butter combination. When oil is hot, add latkes and cook until done and a dark rich brown. Serve immediately. Serves four. Barely.
