Potato Pancakes
- 7 or 8 medium-size old potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds)
- 1 large onion, peeled
- 2 extra-large eggs, separated
- 2 tablespoon potato flour or matzohmeal
- 1 scant tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 tablespoon minced parsley, optional
- Corn oil, for frying
- Applesauce, optional garnish
- Peel the potatoes and cover with cold water until you are ready to make the pancakes.
- Grate the potatoes and onion into a strainer that is suspended over a bowl to catch the juices.
- If this is hard to manage, grate the potatoes into a bowl, then turn into a strainer suspended over another bowl.
- Grate the potatoes and onion alternately, as the onion juice will help prevent the potatoes from darkening.
- Using a wooden spoon, or picking up handfuls of the grated potato mixture, squeeze or press out as much liquid as possible over the bowl.
- Reserve all liquid and let it settle in the bowl for two or three minutes
- Put the pressed potato and onion mixture in a clean bowl.
- Carefully pour off the watery part of the reserved liquid but do not discard the thick, starchy paste at the bottom of the bowl.
- Scrape that into the potato mixture.
- Add the egg yolks, potato flour or matzoh meal, salt, pepper and parsley if you are using it.
- Mix thoroughly.
- Beat the egg whites into stiff and shiny peaks and gently fold them into the potato mixture.
- Heat a half-inch depth of oil in a heavy skillet, preferably of black cast iron.
- Drop the potato mixture into the hot oil, about two tablespoons per pancake, and fry, turning once so the pancakes are a deep golden brown on both sides.
- Total frying time for each batch of pancakes should be about 10 minutes.
- Drain on paper towels.
- Keep fried pancakes warm while the rest are being fried.
- To do that, put the fried, drained pancakes on a rack in an open baking pan and place in a low-heated oven (about 250 degrees).
- Do not hold for more than 15 minutes before serving or they will become soggy.
- Serve with applesauce.
potatoes, onion, eggs, flour, salt, white pepper, parsley, corn oil
Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1553 (may not work)