How to Make Latkes

Cooking incantations can be very useful if you don't have a kitchen clock.

Oh yeah. That's my childhood. But in our family we make them using a good old fashioned heavy metal hand cranked meat grinder. ALternate potatoes and onions when gringing, mix in the egg, salt, pepper, and matzoh meal, and fry em up. The house should smell like it for a week or you've been doing it wrong!

LOL! A story in return for a story...

When my husband and I had been married about 5 years, as was usual, I asked my mother-in-law what she would like as a midwinter gift as we were shopping for new professional clothes for me. She said she didn't want a tangible thing, she wanted to try real latkes, and would I make them? I said certainly, we picked an evening for us to head over for dinner, and we went each of us to our cars to head for our respective abodes.

About the time I was pulling out of the parking lot, it hit me...I had never made the latkes! My dad was in charge of those; never once had I so much as poured oil in the pan. Eep! I had now promised to make something I had no clue on. Moreover, I had promised to make it for someone whose opinion mattered to me, for a special occasion. Double Eep! Being a good cook (and I am) only goes so far, and this was further.

So when I got home, I called my dad and explained my dilemma. When he finished laughing, he gave me very detailed instructions on How It Was Done. He was a college professor, and a natural teacher; it was very clear. So it came to pass that I went out and bought 20 pounds of potatoes, 5 pounds of onions, and a fresh box of matzo meal, and commenced to practice making latkes. My husband ate latkes for dinner every night for a week. Fortunately, he likes them. :)

Off to my in-laws we went, where I proceeded to make 10 pounds of potatoes into latkes for the multitudes, which were devoured with applesauce, sour cream, and many compliments. But it wasn't til a few years later that I told my mother-in-law the back-story on what appeared to her to be a smooth production. She'd had no clue. My frantic preparations had accomplished their goal.

Just got a chance to watch the video...and while her technique is fine, her recipe is wrong. *g* (Yes, some stereotypes have a basis in truth.) There should be a medium onion grated in for every 2-3 potatoes. That will also keep the potatoes from turning brown. It also gets a little garlic (like one clove, crushed), and an egg or 2 to bind it together.

I suppose you could use plain vinegar as well as powdered ascorbic acid, but the recipes I have just use the onion.

EVERYTHING is better with the proper incantations!