• Four Large Red Potatoes
  • One Egg
  • Two Tablespoons of Vegetable Oil
  • Three Chopped Green Onions
  • 3/4 to One Cup of Flour
  • Salt and Pepper to Taste
  • One Cup Vegetable Oil For Frying*

The last of the chicken is marinating for what will no doubt be a fabulous dish courtesy of Chef Adam, so I went vegetarian tonight with a simple matzah ball soup and potato latkes. Scallions, celery, and assorted frozen veggies gave the broth a little kick. For the latkes.

I originally looked at this recipe from AllRecipes.com, but then I found out that I only had one egg. Out of desperation, I started freestyling the ingredients. Improvisation is the mother of genius, or something, right? The latkes could have gone terrible wrong, but instead the result went awesomely right!

After the Breakfast Potato Pancake Upset of 2009—I’m still scarred by the inedible sad little gobs of half-fried potato—I will never forget one vital tip: Wring out all the moisture! If the latkes retain too much moisture, the shredded potato bits revolt and fall apart during the frying stage. Brown the rounded potato cakes on both sides in hot vegetable oil and tada! Solid latkes with crunchy edges. Serve the hot latkes with apple sauce and sour cream—don’t knock it till you’ve tried it!

*I avoided the peanut oil because I think it has an lower burning or smoking point like sesame seed and walnut oil, and I’m just not very good at keeping a close eye on multiple pots while slicing veggies.