Busy Mom Potato Latkes

In 2010, Chanukah fell less than a week after Thanksgiving. Needless to say, no human, mom or otherwise, can be ready to stage yet another joy-filled holiday in the space of a week. And since it fell on a Wednesday and I had a meeting at the Museum until 6:30 that day, this was a particular challenge. But we’d spent Thanksgiving that year at a restaurant, and I was determined to create a holiday filled with happy traditions for my daughter to remember.

Now this meeting until 6:30 was with two staffers and two school teachers (two of them Jewish) running a program for us at the Transit Museum for children on the autism spectrum. Teachers being the most dedicated population subset on the planet, and children on the spectrum being a poignantly needy group that you can’t help rooting for with all of your heart, I couldn’t exactly blow off the meeting with a breezy “Sorry, it’s the first night of Chanukah…. Gotta go!” I did, however, sneak out at 6:15 feeling incredibly guilty that I’d left two Jewish moms and two others to finish the agenda, close up the Museum, and get home to their own families. But it seems I’d be feeling guilty one way or the other and maybe that’s part of what Chanukah’s all about-- my husband Jesse would heartily agree with that.

As I was racing home, I was mentally trying to take stock of what I had in the fridge, since there’d be no time to stop at the grocery store, and whether or not I could make latkes out of what was there. It was kind of a "Chopped" moment. I unlocked the door to my house, dashed upstairs and put 5 not-too-ancient potatoes from the vegetable drawer into the microwave. I got out Mimi Sheraton’s wonderful cookbook, “From My Mother’s Kitchen,” which I figured to be the best source for all foods Jewish. Her recipe wasn’t that complicated, but the clock was ticking and I didn’t have half the ingredients called for. But I got a few good tips, which in the end were helpful. So here is my recipe for totally unorthodox and non traditional potato latkes, which I’ve tweaked a bit since that first desperate attempt. Though they are far from perfect, they are fast and really tasty. You can even warm them up the next day in the toaster oven. Kids who crave potatoes in any form won’t notice if they’re a little soggy.

By the way, thanks to some leftover chicken and a bunch of carrots that were next to the less than ancient potatoes, I managed to get dinner on the table shortly after 8:00 pm, menorah lit with some colorful birthday candles I’d found in a kitchen store next to where I’d grabbed a falafel for lunch that day. Presents were wrapped, and the recipients even seemed to like them. The question is, will she remember?

Busy Mom Potato Latkes

4 medium sized potatoes, microwave for 15 minutes, or until a fork goes into them easily.

¼ onion, diced in food processor

Cut potatoes into quarters-- be careful since they’re hot, and add to food processor. Add 1 tsp. Salt and freshly ground pepper. Process together. Add 1 egg yolk, reserving the white in a small bowl. Transfer potato mixture to a large bowl. Beat egg white to stiff and shiny peaks. Fold into potato mixture. Fry in canola oil, turning after the first side is golden brown. Keep warm in preheated 250 degree oven, on a pan with a rack.

If they are runny, experiment to see if adding potato flour or matzoh meal will make them less so. Credit Mimi Sheraton for the beaten egg whites and warm oven.

Happy Chanukah!