It's December, so of course our minds begin to think about the holidays approaching. As someone who identifies as Jewish, I celebrate Hanukkah, aka the Festival of Lights. We celebrate the exodus of Jews from the Pharaoh from Egypt. In tradition, we enjoy various traditional foods such as sufganiyot (Israeli donuts), and of course, delicious potato pancakes, aka Latkes.

What is Hanukkah (a very,very quick overview)

Hanukkah is not a holiday about gifts, it's about celebrating the miracle oil that was only supposed to last one night, lasted for eight, hence the eight nights of Hanukkah. Hanukkah celebrates the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem, and the oil that lit the latern within the temple. Jewish communities rejoice during this holiday by lighting nightly candles, playing with dreidels, making and consuming recipes that are fried, such as donuts and latkes. While I would love to make homemade donuts, I always opt for the savory: the Latkes.

What are latkes?

Latkes, also known as potato pancakes, are finely grated potato and onion patties fried to utter perfect, and served with either applesauce or sour cream. Now, this is a heated debate: what do you pair latkes with? It really depends on your preference.

• Team Sweet: You'll enjoy pairing these delicacies with the applesauce. It's a beautiful pairing of sweet and fried.
• Team Savory: Pairing the fried latkes with sour cream is a savory dream! This is my preferred pairing, as I am a huge savory latke fan.

You could, at your own risk, use both. Be warned, you might get judged by your Bubbe. Just sayin'.

What tools do I need to make latkes?

While making latkes seems like a large ordeal, it's a very manageable recipe if you have the right kitchen equipment.

• A large stainless steel frying pan
• A box grater: Using the large hole side of the box grater will give you the exact size shredded pieces of onion and potato to make the classic latke shape
• Cookie scoop: this is easily the most important tool for making identical and uniform latkes. This helps with scooping and adding to the pan versus using a spoon. Trust me.

Do I really need a LOT of oil?

I'm going to say yes, and the reason is this recipe is essentially frying potatoes and onions, and in the spirit of celebrating the oil that lit for eight days, we are not afraid of using a lot of oil! Plus, when coating the pan, you want to have a good amount of oil so that the potatoes don't burn and stick to the bottom. For this recipe, at least a cup (or more) will work.

Ingredients

These latkes don't require strange ingredients, and you'll likely have potatoes in your hime begging to be used.

• Potatoes: We use Russet potatoes here, as they're great for frying! Peel and grate, and let them drain!
• Yellow onion
• Garlic powder
• 2 eggs: Eggs help to bind the mixture together.
• Flour: You can swap to gluten free flour if that's your thing, but the flour helps to bind the mixture with the egg and resemble that "pancake" vibe.
• Salt
• Oil* (for frying, you'll need at least 1 cup)

Directions

These are pretty straightforward directions, and you'll be frying away in no time!

1. Grate the onion using a four-sided grater on the large side then set aside.
2. In a large bowl, grate potatoes using a four-sided grater on the large side then set aside and drain in ace in a large strainer, allowing the starch and liquid to drain.
3. Add the potatoes to the onions. Crack in the eggs and add in the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and flour. Mix until the flour and eggs are fully incorporated.
4. Heat a large pan on medium heat; add in oil until there is a think layer coating the bottom of the pan.
5. Using a cookie scoop, scoop the potato mixture and slowly add to the frying pan. Let cook on each side 2-3 minutes or until you see the sides get nice and brown.  Play with temperature and add oil as needed.
6. Season with kosher salt and serve with either sour cream, applesauce or both!

Tips for Making latkes:

Please remember these few tips and you'll be a latke pro!

1. Do NOT use a nonstick pan. I've tried this when testing and the latkes do not crisp up the same as they do in a stainless steel pan. If you add enough oil, the pan won't have any issues with the potatoes sticking.
2. Make sure you leave enough time for the potato starch and liquid to drain. This will likely be 5-7ish minutes. It's ok if there is some liquid, but you want to try and get as much of the liquid out as possible.
3. Do your best to stay attentive when fyring the latkes. They will go from a golden brown to OMG THEY'RE BURNT in seconds.

I hope you enjoy making these delicious latkes as much as I do. While they're typically eaten during Hanukkah, you can really make them anytime of year! Chag Sameach (or happy Hanukkah!).