When researching traditional Chanukah foods, I stumbled on this recipe for Fried Noodle Pudding. While it seems different from a traditional latke, it does have a lot in common – plain starch as the main component, onions for flavor, eggs to bind, and fried in oil.
During the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 school years, I spent a trimester each year teaching cooking to the high schoolers in my synagogue’s religious school. I was so thrilled to be asked, and really enjoyed teaching them basic and advanced skills as we cooked our way through different dishes.
Our first year for Chanukah, we cooked sufganiyot, and last year we made five different latkes and other fried foods from various backgrounds. There are many resources, both internet and in print, for many, many traditional Chanukah dishes and some modern twists on traditional favorites. One of the latkes we made was this apple latke from Smitten Kitchen, which was definitely a favorite.
There are almost as many different ways to make a potato latke as there are people to eat them. Some of it goes back to what you ate growing up, or a new method you’ve found, or any one of a number of variables.
However, at the core is a very simple formula – grated potatoes, onion, egg, some kind of starch, salt and pepper.
Continue reading “Potato Latkes, the Slightly Cheater Method”
