How to Make Latkes for Hanukkah

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By zentopia
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Make Latkes for Hanukkah

Potato pancakes, also know as Latkes or Latkas, are traditionally eaten in observance of the Jewish holiday Hanukkah. Following the destruction of the Holy Temple, the Jews discovered only 1 small vile of oil, which would be enough to light the menorah, a Jewish candelabra, for one day. Miraculously, this small amount of oil lit the candles of the menorah for eight days. The oil used to fry these tasty potato pancakes is symbolic of this miracle that occurred.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

4 medium potatoes
1 large yellow onion
2 eggs, well beaten
2 Tablespoons of flour or matzoh meal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 Cup of Oil

Step 1

Prepare the potatoes.

Wash and peel the potatoes. Finely grate each potato and place into a colander. By hand, drain any excess liquid. Place grated potatoes in a bowl and set aside. Note: To avoid the potatoes turning brown in color, the grated potatoes can be placed in a bowl of cold water while the other ingredients are prepared.
Step 2

Prepare the onion.

Peel your onion and chop off both ends. Grate the onion and mix directly into the bowl of potatoes. With your hands or a big spoon, mix potatoes and onions until they are blended together evenly.
Step 3

Add the salt.

At this stage, add salt to the mixture and blend well.
Step 4

Beat the eggs.

In a separate bowl, beat 2 eggs and add this to the potato and onion mixture, stirring together all of the ingredients until the egg has thoroughly mixed in.
Step 5

Add Matzoh Meal or Flour.

Add 1-2 tablespoons of matzoh meal or flour to the potato, onion and egg mixture, and blend all ingredients together in the bowl.

Note: Depending on how thick you prefer your pancakes to be, feel free to add extra matzoh meal or flour by the 1/2 tablespoon until the desired consistency is met. It is also okay to have some extra liquid leftover in the bottom of the bowl, as I typically try to remove any excess liquid by letting it drip back into the bowl as I place the pancakes onto the frying pan. See tips for using matzoh meal vs. flour.
Step 6

Heat the pan and add the oil.

Heat up a flat frying pan or square griddle on medium heat, and place a thin layer of oil on the bottom of the pan. As I got older, my mom used an electric griddle and that allowed for a more evenly heated pan.
Step 7

Cook the Latkes.

Place a large spoonful of the potato mixture onto the griddle, and with a spatula or the back of a large spoon, press down on the mixture to form a pancake. Cook potato pancakes until brown and crispy on both sides.
Step 8

Drain the oil.

Once the potato pancakes are ready to be taken off the heat, place on a plate covered with a paper towel, and that will help to remove any excess oil. Continue Step 6 and 7 until all of the potato mixture has been used.