The Community Table Project is about sharing signature recipes from everyday folks, and creating a sense of community around food. If you make a signature dish you think is great, send me an email at baconhound@gmail.com and let’s talk!

Potato latkes are a traditional Jewish dish, but you don’t have to be of any particular faith to enjoy these little bundles of fried carbs.

The Cook:

Tamara Vineberg.

Tamara is Jewish and originally from Montreal. She works in public relations in health care and she loves food. She thinks maybe too much, but is there such a thing?

The Dish: 

Potato Latkes.

Latkes are traditionally made for the Jewish holiday Chanukah. Latkes are incredibly versatile, and are also known potato rosti or simply as potato pancakes. If you’re out of potato and feeling adventurous, you can use zucchini, carrots, legumes or cheese in your latke.

The Story:

Tamara has been making these latkes with her mom since she was a little kid. The recipe has never been written down, so Tamara committed the ingredients and the steps to memory from making it so many times with her mom, who learned the process from her mother. Tamara doesn’t even know how many generations this recipe goes back.

Talking to Tamara, it’s easy to see her love of family, and this dish as she told us story after story that revolved around these potato latkes. Like how her mom used to always make extras so her dad could take them for lunch instead of boring sandwiches and everyone around him would be jealous. Or how she and her sister would have competitions to see who could eat the most. Tamara told us that her kids haven’t developed quite the same love for the latkes yet, but she’s holding out hope that the tradition will live on.

The Recipe:

Print Recipe

Potato Latkes

Servings

Ingredients

• 10 russet potatoes peeled and shredded
• 1 medium onion shredded
• 1-2 eggs
• 1/4 cup canola oil + extra for frying
• 1/3 cup matzo meal
• salt and pepper to taste

Servings Ingredients 10 russet potatoes peeled and shredded 1 medium onion shredded 1-2 eggs 1/4 cup canola oil + extra for frying 1/3 cup matzo meal salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Shred the potatoes and the onion in a food processor. Pour them into a bowl and mix with the remaining ingredients
2. Heat a frying pan with enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Once the oil is hot, start spooning a tablespoon of the batter at a time to form small pancakes in the frying pan. Turn the latkes over once the bottom side is crispy.
3. Once both sides have browned, remove the latkes and place on a paper towel lined plate to remove excess oil. Repeat until all batter is done
4. Enjoy with applesauce and/or sour cream.

Recipe Notes

Tips and Tricks:

• Tamara likes to use her food processor to finely shred the potatoes as it gives them a smoother consistency
• The shredded potatoes will look soupy, but don't drain the liquid. Don't be alarmed- this is how they should look.
• Once it's all mixed, it should look more like a loose batter than a dough. It should hold on to the spoon slightly before falling into the pan.

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Big thanks to Kunitz Shoes and The Italian Centre Shop for coming on board and sponsoring The Community Table Project. The support of strong community-minded companies like these help make content like this possible, so go see Kunitz Shoes next time you’re in need of quality shoes and cool socks, and The Italian Centre Shop for everything you need to make these recipes at home.

Baconhound is an Edmonton food blog, focusing on the best restaurants and dishes in Edmonton and beyond. Phil Wilson is a food writer and also the host of the Canadian food podcast, Off Menu. Find it in the iTunes store and on Stitcher.