Potato Latkes: (Potato Pancakes)

Alan Leonetti's Note:

There are different versions of Potato Latkes, but this is the recipe my maternal grandmother, Anna Buhal'tsev (Bell) Mersky, used to make. She made this in the Ukraine, where she came from, and she may have even slightly changed the recipe when she relocated to the United States in 1910. SEE MY RECIPE #85235 FOR SCHMALTZ. If you have any questions you may e-mail me at: leonetti00 at aol dot com

• Total Time: 35 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 2

• 4 medium potatoes (peeled)
• 1 shallots or 1 very small onion
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ½ cup flour
• ½ cup milk
• 4 tablespoons peanut oil (for frying)
• 4 tablespoons schmaltz , for frying (rendered chicken fat)
• 1 small egg
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1⁄16; cup melted butter
• 1⁄8; teaspoon nutmeg
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Grate potatoes and shallot on a large-hole grater.
2. Splash with lemon juice and squeeze out excess water.
3. Mix the flour, milk, egg, baking powder and nutmeg together.
4. Add mixture to the potatoes and then add the melted butter.
5. Heat some peanut oil with some schmaltz in a large skillet and spoon a few spoons of the mixture into the skillet.
6. Fry until golden on the bottom side and then with a spatula, flip and cook the same way on the other side.
7. Serve with watercress, caviar, applesauce, crème fraiche or sour cream.