Happy Chanukah to all of my Jew Crew out there!

Last night, we celebrated the first night of Chanukah (which happened to coincide with Christmas this year) with the family. The centerpiece of the party was the creation of a massive amount of latkes made according to a special recipe from a close family friend. Rabbi Weiss is in his 90s now and he knows his latkes! In case you’re unfamiliar with this classic Chanukah food, latkes are basically potato pancakes.

The trick to Rabbi’s Latkes is to put part of the mixture in the blender and mix it together. By blending half of the mixture, you make it the perfect consistency: not too piece-y and crumbly, but at the same time not too mushy.

Since Chanukah lasts 8 days, there’s plenty of time to try this recipe if you’re interested. Of course, you don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy latkes. Traditionally, you serve latkes with applesauce and/or sour cream.

Rabbi’s Famous Latkes

8 potatoes
7 eggs, beaten
1 onion, finely chopped
3 T matzoh meal (or flour)
1 T salt
1/2 T pepper
Vegetable Oil (1/4 cup or more for the batter and more for the frying)

• Wash and peel potatoes. Cut them into small pieces and grate them into a large bowl. You can also use a food processor but make sure not to puree the potatoes so that they are too fine or watery. They should be coarsely grated. If necessary, throw in a little egg to keep the potatoes from browning.
• Take half of the coarsely grated potatoes and put it into a blender with all of the other ingredients, including 1/4 cup of the oil. The more oil you add, the better your latkes will taste, of course! Blend well. If you find that the mixture is too watery, add a little flour or matzoh meal to solve the problem.
• Combine the blender-processed mixture with the other half of the coarsely grated potatoes. Mix together. Take about a generous 1/3 cup of batter and form it into a ball in your hand. Flatten it down into a round patty to make the latke.
• Pour oil into a large frying pan, enough to almost cover the latkes (maybe 1/2-inch of oil). The pan and oil should be sizzling hot. Fry latkes until golden brown on both sides. Serve with sour cream and/or applesauce. EAT and ENJOY!