So this is from one of our first posts, published some 8 years ago!  We thought we’d re-post it for those of you celebrating Hanukkah this week — it’s really the only thing you need to make the holiday sizzle!

Potato latkes (pancakes)

These are delicious any time, as a side dish or an elegant hors d’oeuvre with a dollop of creme fraiche and tiny topping of caviar.  But at this time of year, they are the quintessential Hanukkah dish.

Ingredients:

Canola oil for frying
3 – 4 large Russet potatoes (Yukon Golds are fine also), peeled (although our friend Annie never peels them and they are delicious that way too, but the traditional way uses peeled potatoes)
2 large onions, chopped
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

sour cream
applesauce (check out our post back in September for easy homemade applesauce)

Directions:

Preheat skillet and add 1/4 inch oil to heat.
Grate potatoes either by hand or in a food processor, then put the grated potatoes in a strainer or wrap up in clean towel to squeeze out excess water.
Add onions, eggs, flour, baking powder, salt and pepper to grated potatoes and mix well.  Don’t let the mixture stand more than a few minutes or it will turn gray.*
Ladle out 1/4 cup at a time onto skillet (use cast iron if possible) and cook until edges are brown; then flip and cook on other side — about five minutes on each side. (If using as an hors d’oeuvre, just ladle out less.)

They should be hot, crispy and delicious!

Serve with sour cream and applesauce on the side.

* (You can add a little Vitamin C powder to the mix to keep this from happening, but be warned:  there may be a lingering bitterness in the batter from the ascorbic acid.  Better to just fry the latkes quickly after mixing!)