Latkes

Of course it makes complete sense that these two dads, both former Catholics raising their son in the Episcopal faith, are now in charge of the latkes for their son’s preschool Hanukkah party. Complete sense.

If you can convince your grandmother to share her recipe, we’d be eternally grateful! For now, we’ll muddle through with these (and they sure are darn tasty).

Method:

4 baking potatoes, peeled

1 yellow onion, peeled and halved

1 egg, whisked

3 tbl. flat leaf parsely, chopped

2 tbl. panko bread crumbs

coarse salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 c. vegetable oil

flaky sea salt

Grate the potatoes and onion against the large holes of a box grater. Let them hang out for a bit in a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl, pressing your fist against the potatoes and onion to extract as much liquid as possible. Allow the liquid in the bowl to rest for a few minutes until the starch settles. Carefully pour off the liquid and reserve the thick white starch.

In a mixing bowl, combine the potatoes, onion, reserved starch, egg, parsley and bread crumbs. Hit the mixture with a three-finger pinch of coarse salt and a few turn of black pepper. Gently toss the mixture with your hands.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Load a 1/4 c. measuring cup with the potato mixture and carefully lay it in the hot pan. Press the mixture into a thick disk with the back of a spoon. Repeat with the remaining potatoes, cooking about 4-5 pancakes at a time. Gently fry the pancakes until toasty and nicely browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the cooked pancakes to a baking sheet lined with paper towels and finish each with a bit of flaky sea salt. Top with a bit of apple sauce if you like.