Latke Recipe

Finely grate potatoes. Quickly mix with the onion. Place in a kitchen towel. Fold towel up around mixture and over a bowl, twist tightly to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. The secret to crisp latkes is to have the grated potatoes as dry as possible.

Let liquid stand in the bowl for about 5 minutes to let the potato starch settle to the bottom. Pour off the top liquid and leave the starch in the bowl. Stir in the potato-onions, egg, flour, salt, pepper, and baking powder.

Fry over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Start with about 1/3 cup oil. For each pancake, drop a heaping tablespoon of batter into the hot oil. Using the back of a spoon, spread into about 3-inch rounds. Do not crowd the pan. Fry until brown on both sides (about 3 minutes per side).

Place the cooked pancakes in a single layer on a cookie rack set over a cookie sheet. Keep warm in a 325°F. oven while the next batch is being fried. If liquid should appear on the surface of the waiting batter, spoon it off and discard. Do not stir it back into the batter. If more oil is needed in the skillet, add only about a tablespoon at a time.

Serve hot, either plain or with sour cream or applesauce. Makes about 18 latkes.