From
Craig Lemonds, who doesn’t roll on Shabbos:
OK, I
have tried to size this down to a reasonable size. I must say,
however, when both of my boys were at home they would count the days until Chanukah when the mass consumption of fried potatoes would commence. They would eat almost but nothing but latkes for all of Chanukah. Traditional toppings are sour cream or apple sauce, but we made sure the had a couple of extra large bottles of ketchup, as this was their preference.
2 cups peeled and shredded, not diced, potatoes
1-3 tablespoons grated onion [depends on how much you like onion]
2-3 eggs, beaten, depending on size
2-3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 - 1 cup good vegetable oil for frying [NOT SHORTENING OR OLIVE OIL,
AS THEY MAKE THEM TOO HEAVY OR ADD TOO MUCH FLAVOR - the potato is the
thing here.]
Directions
1. Place the potatoes in a cheesecloth and wring, extracting as much
moisture as possible.
2. In a medium bowl stir the potatoes, onion, eggs, flour and salt together.
3. In a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until hot. Make sure the oil is not too deep, as you only want to cook one side at a time. Place large spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the hot oil, pressing down on them to form 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick patties, about
3-4 inches in diameter. Brown on one side, turn and brown on the other.
Let drain on paper towels. Serve hot!
Now for you to understand why these are such important comfort foods for Jews, in Eastern Europe potatoes were often hard to come by. Eating these little fried morsels when Winter was hard, cold and dark, and the lights of Chanukah were lit, the home was warm and the stories told, it made everyone feel better. Chanukah is really a minor festival, but since Christian neighbors were usually celebrating Christmas, it became even more meaningful and important [the Jewish calendar is lunar, and the eight-day holiday floats around December, usually, sometimes near or during Christmas, sometimes not.] Donuts, specifically deep-fried donuts, called sufganiyot in Hebrew, are also eaten. If you look at most Jewish holidays, you will see most revolve around some specific food. Hence our motto, "We're Jews, we gotta eat."
however, when both of my boys were at home they would count the days until Chanukah when the mass consumption of fried potatoes would commence. They would eat almost but nothing but latkes for all of Chanukah. Traditional toppings are sour cream or apple sauce, but we made sure the had a couple of extra large bottles of ketchup, as this was their preference.
2 cups peeled and shredded, not diced, potatoes
1-3 tablespoons grated onion [depends on how much you like onion]
2-3 eggs, beaten, depending on size
2-3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 - 1 cup good vegetable oil for frying [NOT SHORTENING OR OLIVE OIL,
AS THEY MAKE THEM TOO HEAVY OR ADD TOO MUCH FLAVOR - the potato is the
thing here.]
Directions
1. Place the potatoes in a cheesecloth and wring, extracting as much
moisture as possible.
2. In a medium bowl stir the potatoes, onion, eggs, flour and salt together.
3. In a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until hot. Make sure the oil is not too deep, as you only want to cook one side at a time. Place large spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the hot oil, pressing down on them to form 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick patties, about
3-4 inches in diameter. Brown on one side, turn and brown on the other.
Let drain on paper towels. Serve hot!
Now for you to understand why these are such important comfort foods for Jews, in Eastern Europe potatoes were often hard to come by. Eating these little fried morsels when Winter was hard, cold and dark, and the lights of Chanukah were lit, the home was warm and the stories told, it made everyone feel better. Chanukah is really a minor festival, but since Christian neighbors were usually celebrating Christmas, it became even more meaningful and important [the Jewish calendar is lunar, and the eight-day holiday floats around December, usually, sometimes near or during Christmas, sometimes not.] Donuts, specifically deep-fried donuts, called sufganiyot in Hebrew, are also eaten. If you look at most Jewish holidays, you will see most revolve around some specific food. Hence our motto, "We're Jews, we gotta eat."
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