Have your latkes and eat them, too!

It’s the first day of Hanukkah and I’m getting ready to chow down on my mom’s famous latkes (potato pancakes). I can’t wait. I don’t know how she does it, but they always come out perfectly: crispy on the outside, warm and gooey on the inside and glistening with oil.

Eating foods that have been fried in oil is part of the holiday tradition’it’s meant to commemorate the Hanukkah miracle, when a very small amount of oil lit the temple menorah for what Adam Sandler refers to as eight crazy nights. So my holiday calorie fest officially begins tonight at my family’s Hanukkah party.

To get through the onslaught of tasty treats to come, I plan to repeat my holiday-season mantra: Everything in moderation. There’s no way around the fact that fried potato pancakes aren’t the healthiest of foods, but indulging in one or two is much healthier for the soul than swearing off high-calorie treats completely. We all need a time to celebrate! In that spirit, my mom has generously written up her recipe for me to share here. If you try them, let me know how they turn out. Happy Hanukkah!

Ferne Goldberg’s Super-latkes
Ingredients:
6  white- or red-skin potatoes
2 eggs
2 tbsp. flour (30 mL)
1 tsp. salt (5 mL)
pepper (to taste)
1 yellow onion
¼ tsp. baking powder (1 mL)
Oil for frying

Directions:
Peel potatoes and onions, and place in bowl with cold water. Grate potatoes and onion together in a food processor using steel blade. Place grated potato and onion in colander to drain most of liquid. Beat egg. Combine all ingredients together. Heat oil in frying pan and drop mixture by spoonfuls into hot oil. Fry until brown on both sides. Drain on paper towel. Serve with apple sauce or sour cream.