Serves 4

• 2 lbs. potatoes, such as russets
• 1 medium-sized white onion
• 1-2 eggs, beaten
• 2-3 Tablespoons matzo meal or flour
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup of oil (such as canola or vegetable oil) for frying, more as needed
• Sour cream and applesauce for serving (optional)

1. Peel the potatoes and onions and cut into wedges.
2. Shred the potatoes and onions. Chris notes that he uses the “shredding gizmo” on a food processor to make quick work of this step, but “this is an ancient recipe and can certainly be done on a box grater — just watch your knuckles!”
3. Transfer the shredded potato and onion to a large bowl. Add one beaten egg and two tablespoons of matzo meal to the potato and onion mixture and mix thoroughly. If the mixture seems too dry, add more egg; if it’s too wet, add a little more matzo meal.
4. Season with salt and pepper and stir.
5. Heat the oil in a large deep frying pan or skillet until it’s hot enough for drops of water to sizzle.
6. Using your hands, form the mixture into potato pancakes about the size of your palm. This amount of mixture should make about 8 latkes.
7. (Carefully!) Plop the pancakes into the hot oil. (Chris recommends wearing an apron to protect yourself from splatters.) You will probably have to work in batches to avoid crowding the pan.
8. Watch the latkes carefully, checking how the bottoms look. When the bottoms are golden brown, flip the latkes over and continue cooking until both sides are browned.
9. Transfer the latkes briefly to paper towels. Serve while still hot — do not eat cold or try to save leftovers for another day
10. These latkes are good eaten plain, but as you wish, you can serve with toppings of sour cream or applesauce.