latkes!

now that i had this jar (albeit, not completely full jar) of applesauce, i decided to try my hand at making latkes. it didn't hurt that it's hanukkah and everywhere i looked, there were recipes for them. it was probably why i even attempted to make applesauce in the first place.

LATKES

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/06/dining/061frex.html

i didn't have matzo meal but i saw on some other sites that they used flour instead, which is what i ended up doing. i used two big yukon potatoes and i think i shredded way more than three cups of potatoes so i threw in an extra egg at the end because i didn't think the two were enough? not that i really know what the consistency of the batter should be. it just seemed too dry?

and it was the first time i ever grated an onion. it was pretty hard b/c of the layers. like i would grate it a little and then one of the layers would come off so i ended up with a lot of big chunks and couldn't get good shreds. AND it was really releasing the stuff that makes you cry (apparently Syn-propanethial-S-oxide). like i don't think i have ever cried this much while dealing with onions. i also read somewhere that it was good to squeeze as much liquid out of the potatoes as possible before making the batter so i got some cheesecloth to help with the wringing.

i haven't had latkes in forever so i don't really remember what the consistency should be. i think it was pretty good but probably needed to be a little crispier? all the recipes talked about placing them on paper towels or something to absorb the extra oil, which i didn't really have to worry about so definitely a sign that i didn't fry them with enough oil or long enough.

oh, and i also failed at making a full meal. next time, i have to remember to make some meat to go with this.