These crisp potato pancakes are eaten during the eight-day Jewish festival of Chanukah. The festival commemorates events that took place in Judea more than 2,000 years ago, when the Syrian king Antiochus ordered the Jewish people to abandon the Torah and publicly worship the Greek gods. This act provoked a battle to retake the Temple in Jerusalem. Chanukah is held in celebration of the Jews’ successful battle. Serve these crisp potato pancakes with applesauce, jam, or sour cream.
Ingredients
4 large potatoes, peeled
1 onion, minced
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
corn oil, for frying
Instructions
Grate the potatoes, rinse them, and drain in a colander. In a bowl, combine the potatoes, onion, eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Heat the oil in a skillet and fry the pancakes on both sides until golden brown, pressing them down carefully with a spatula. Makes 20 to 24 small latkes.
