Penny Eisenberg: Recipe - Potato Latkes

Yummm

Potato Latkes - Lightened

Serve on Passover, Chanukah or Shabbat

Makes 32, three-inch long latkes (serves 6-8)

4 pounds white potatoes - about 16 small potatoes
juice from 2 medium lemons
1 medium onion-- peeled, in chunks
4 large eggs, lightly whisked
1/4 to 1/2 cup matzo meal
2-3 teaspoons salt and pepper (to taste)

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Have ready 2 nonstick jelly-roll pans or rimmed cookie sheets.

Grate the potatoes and onion, in batches, in a food processor with the grating disk, pouring in the lemon juice as each batch gets grated. Dump the mixture into a large bowl. Squeeze out excess moisture (this can be done with your hands, or by placing the mixture in a towel and squeezing. Place the metal blade in the processor and return some of the potato mixture to the processor bowl. Pulse a few times to make a finer texture. Dump into another bowl. Repeat with remaining mixture. (The amount that you can fit in the processor will vary with the size of your equipment).

Mix the smaller quantity of matzo meal and the salt and pepper into the potato mixture. Let stand for 15 minutes.

Place about 1/8" of peanut or canola oil in a large, heavy skillet or electric pan. Heat to about 400 degrees- just under the smoking point. Now you can make a taster pancake by spooning a teaspoonful of potato mixture into the hot oil. Cook it until well browned, flip, and brown the other side. Drain it on paper towels, let cool slightly, and then taste it. Adjust by adding more matzo meal or and/or salt and pepper to taste. The amount of matzo meal to use will vary with the amount of moisture that you have squeezed out of the potatoes, and the final texture that you like. More matzo meal will make thicker pancakes.

For the actual pancakes, use a serving or other large spoon to transfer potato batter into the hot oil. Flatten lightly. The latkes should be about 3-4" long and about 1/2" thick. Cook for 2 minutes on each side - they should be nicely browned, but not crisp. It will be necessary to raise and lower the heat depending upon how fast the latkes are cooking. The hotter the oil the less greasy the pancakes will be. Add more oil, as necessary, but do not add more potato batter until the oil comes back up to temperature. Fry all of the pancakes, draining them on paper towels, and placing them in the jelly roll pans, as they are finished. The partially cooked pancakes can be baked immediately, left at room temperature for a few hours, refrigerated or frozen. Bake the pancakes for 10 minutes, turn and bake for 5 minutes on the other side until both sides are well browned (longer if the pancakes have been refrigerated or frozen). Remove and blot both sides with paper towels. The pancakes should crisp as the excess oil is blotted from them and as they cool slightly.

Serve with applesauce.

Per serving: 52 Calories (kcal); 1g Total Fat; (10% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 10g Carbohydrate; 23mg Cholesterol; 10mg Sodium

Food Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 0 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates

Note: I determined the amount of fat per latke by weighing the paper towels before and after the lakes had drained on them, and by weighing the amount of oil used and the excess remaining after frying was completed