INGRE'S PURIST LATKES

Many, many years ago, my mother taught me to make latkes. Actually, she
usually called them platski... it was my father who used the term latkes
(singular = latke). Fried potato pankakes of similar types are part of
the cuisine of many cultures... certainly those of eastern Europe.

Over the years, I modified my mother's teachings somewhat. She wanted to
mix in grated or chopped onions (an ingredient over which my wife and I
still argue); being the compulsive purist, I insist on leaving them out.
She had first learned to cook them in oil; only later did she switch to

"sweet" butter - a praiseworthy modification in my humble opinion.

Although they are traditionally a "side dish", I have found that my
complete lack of self-discipline with respect to latkes of this kind had
made of them a truly superb main course, one that the true "aficionado"
need not corrupt with other comestibles. (I also have something of a
reputation at home for eating them obsessively until I get ill ... gross
calumny, of course....)

Here, then, is the recipe. Note that it depends somewhat on the
capriciousness of individual taste and pure dumb luck.

Required ingredients:
- 8 medium size potatoes
- 3 eggs, large size
- 2 tbs potato flour (substitute all-purpose flour if required)
- 1/4 lb butter (unsalted if available)
- Salt and pepper
- Optional: Apple sauce and/or sour cream (if you insist on adding to
perfection)

Required equipment:
Potato peeler
Fork (large if available)
Hand grater (substitute food processor if you are ineffably
squeamish...)
Large mixing bowl
Small mixing bowl
Seive/strainer (big one if possible)
Large mixing spoon or ladle
Large frying pan (or 2 small ones... depends on how many times you want
to use it...)
Spatula or flipping tongs (I don't really know what they're called:
something to turn over the latkes while they're cooking....)

Procedure:

1. Peel and wash potatoes.

2. Using the "medium" setting of the hand grater (just the right size to
rip off small patches of skin), grate potatoes into large bowl.

3. Strain mixture, allowing liquid to remain in small bowl; put liquid
aside.

4.Into strained grated potatoes, mix eggs and potato flour.

5. Pour liquid out of small bowl and scrape natural potato flour/starch
out of small bowl into prepared mixture; mix well.

6. Melt a good-size patty (how's that for precision?) of butter in pan.
Use a high heat (I have no idea what temperature), and wait until butter
starts to turn brown.

7. Spoon (or ladle) potato mixture into pan: each latke should be about
1/4" to 1/2" thick, and about 3" by 2". (You can, of course, make them
smaller or larger if you wish to deviate dangerously from the perfection
of this recipe...)

8. After a minute or two, use the spatula to separate the latkes in the
pan, and move them around a bit in the now brown butter.

9. Once they have started to get really brown (precision again... this
usually requires about 2-3 minutes)around the edges, add another patty
of butter, then flip the latkes over.

10. Continue frying until both sides are a nice, fatty shade of brown
and the edges have started to get a trifle crispy.


11. Remove them from the pan and put aside somewhere to stay warm
(microwaves on low work...)

12. Repeat steps 6 through 11 with the remainder of the batter.

13. Place as many latkes on a plate as you think you can eat, and add a
couple more for good measure.

14. Sprinkle with salt (and pepper if you like) and/or add sour cream or
apple sauce if you wish to gamble with sublimity).

15. Pig out in absolute bliss.

This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page