Potato Latkes (Pancakes)

Growing up, in Brooklyn, in the 50's was the best. In the East Flatbush section, where I grew up, there was a mix of many different nationalities and religions. There had to be 40 kids who lived on our block. I had two very good friends, Maxine and Esther. There were cousins who lived a few doors down in a 2 family house. Maxine's mom was a widow who worked as a hairdresser. Ester's mom was a stay at home mom and she kept a close eye on the kids. Her mom would make Potato Latkes every Friday afternoon. She would open her 2nd floor kitchen window and ask if we wanted some. Of course, we did. She would put 3 of them in a brown paper bag and toss it down to us. It was a treat that I never forgot. Years later, I found a recipe for them in a cook book that my mother-in-law gave me. I've been making them every since. It's probably not the healthiest way to eat potatoes but.........:)

Potato Latkes

• 4 large baking potatoes
• 1 medium onion
• 1 large eggs
• 3/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 2- tbs all-purpose flour
• About ¾ cup canola oil (for frying)

Line a tray with paper towels for draining latkes. Peel and grate potatoes and onions on the large holes of a grater. Transfer grated onion and potato to a colander. Squeeze mixture by handfuls to remove as much liquid as possible.Put potato-onion mixture in a bowl. Add egg, salt, pepper, and flour and mix well.

Heat ½ cup oil in a deep, large, heavy skillet. For each latke, drop about 2 tablespoons of potato mixture into pan. Flatten with back of a spoon so each pancake is 2½ to 3 inches in diameter. Do not crowd them in pan. Fry over medium heat 4 to 5 minutes on each side, or until crisp and golden brown. Turn carefully with 2 slotted spatulas so oil doesn’t splatter. Transfer to paper towels. Stir batter before frying each new batch. Add more oil to the pan as necessary, and heat it before adding more latkes.

Serve warm with applesauce. Makes 4 servings