Great latka recipes?

I would very much like to see the standard one. Does it require grating a pinch of knuckle into potatoes and onions and using real schmaltz? (Fun catching up earlier).

potato, onion, carrot or parsnip (!), matza meal (not flour), salt, pepper. keep it simple. fry in *hot* peanut or canola oil. (my brother, for the record, uses duck fat.) olive oil won't do it -- it doesn't get hot enough. eat while still sizzling.

"Not your Grandma's Vegetable Latkes" - From the Whole Foods cookbook. I made these once and they were great - already had this typed up for a friend. Preheat the oven to 425. Grate 2 large russet potatoes (peeled if you want) into a large bowl. Cover the potatoes with cold water so they don%u2019t brown. Into another bowl grate 1 large onion, 1 large carrot, 1 medium yellow squash, and 1 medium zucchini. Drain the potatoes well and press out excess moisture in a colander. Combine all the veggies. Add 1 cup flour, 1 tsp salt, 2 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp ground pepper, and 2 large eggs. Mix well. Use an 8-ounce scoop or a lid to scoop and form about eight 1/2-inch-thick pancakes. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, brush/spray lightly with canola oil, and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Serve with yogurt, raita, marinara sauce, or cinnamon-spiked applesauce.

I do like the idea of baking rather than deep-frying in oil. And I will check out the cookbook. I assume that you use food processor for all the grating?

While it's not the healthiest, remember that frying in oil is what makes Latkes a tradtional Hannukah treat. We recall that amazing oil that kept the Ner Tamid lit by lighting candles and eating fried foods.

So is using chicken fat a tradition...altho it was prob. not used in the Ner Tamid. MY grandmother always rendered it and had containers around that she used for the most delicious, artery-clogging dishes. Gribben, etc.

All of the above are good. I for one would not bake latkes. If I wanted to bake, I would put the entire batter into a dish and have a great potato/veg kugel. Latkes should be fried. I've been making potato kugels and latkes for ages. For great latkes you need a great frying pan, one that will not cause the batter to stick. The older the better. A heavy skillet or teflon pan works great. A skillet should be "treated" before use. Teflon is good, but some people do not want to use it. 4 large potatoes, 1 small onion. Either grate by hand (yeah watch those knuckles) or in food processor. Key is not to grate too finely, yet not too coarse either. About 3to4 eggs. Salt & black pepper. Mix everything in a bowl (by hand with a wooden spoon). Taste the batter to see if more salt or pepper is needed. I do not drain off any liquid nor do I use any matza meal. Use a ladel to drop the mixture into a very hot fry pan sizzling with oil. Brown till edges are crunchy looking, turn over. Place on paper towel lined plate. Eat immediately!