Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel

So, lets go back in time about ten months to December of '08. It was Christmas Eve and per the Cargle tradition my family got together and made non-traditional finger foods for dinner. Last year it was mini corned beef sandwiches, this year it was homemade pizzas. I, however, wanted to do something that was both traditional and non-traditional. So I decided to make potato latkes, (or potato pancakes for those of you living under a rock) since it's a traditional winter holiday meal for someone's family--just not mine.

Now, it's no secret I'm a big freakin shiksa (that's a non-Jewish woman for my rock dwelling friends) and though I've had many a latke in my life, they were all so different that I had no idea where to start. All I knew is that I wanted them to be dense yet tender in the middle, crispy around the edges and just a little bit sweet. So, to the internet I went to find the recipe that would get me those results. I found recipes telling me to use everything from parsnips to pre-shredded hashbrowns (No dice, Sandra Lee). So, I decided to go simple and look at the common denominators. Potatoes, onion, egg, oil. They came out alright. I mean, how does one screw up fried potato and onion. It's pretty damned impossible. They were missing something, though. They lacked the soulfulness and comfort you get when you eat a perfect latke at a Jewish deli. So, I think I'll leave this dish to the experts.

Potato Latkes

1 pound potatoes

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 250°F.
2. Peel potatoes and coarsely grate by hand, transferring to a large bowl of cold water as grated. Soak potatoes 1 to 2 minutes after last batch is added to water, then drain well in a colander.
3. Spread grated potatoes and onion on a kitchen towel and roll up like a jelly-roll. Twist towel and wring out as much liquid as possible.
4. Transfer potato mixture to a bowl and stir in egg and salt
5. Heat 1/4 cup oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking.
6. Spoon 2 tablespoons of mixture into the oil in batches of 4, flatten with fork.
7. Reduce to moderate heat until undersides are browned (5 min or so)
8. Turn and cook for another 5 min
9. Transfer to paper towel to drain and season with salt and place in the oven to keep warm.

**You may need to add more oil as you go--eyeball it.

Oh, I also decided to make the traditional garnish of applesauce and sour cream. Okay, I didn't make the sour cream and I actually used creme fraiche, but I definitely made the applesauce from scratch.

Ashly's Homemade Applesauce

2 lbs of Fuji apples peeled, cored and quartered
2 cups of water
2 cups of apple cider
4 tbs butter
3 tbs brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground cloves

PREPARATION

1. Bring water and apple cider to a rolling boil in a large pot
2. Add apple sections and boil until fork tender (about 10min)
3. Strain apples through colander and place in bowl
4. Use potato masher or fork to coarsely mash apples
5. Incorporate butter and sugar until completely melted
6. Stir in cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves

**I usually leave lumps in the applesauce and serve it warm. It should be served room temperature at the least or the butter will start to congeal.