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Sally Showalter's avatar

When you know the ropes in the kitchen, alternatives can be found. What a great idea!

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Sally Showalter's avatar

Latkes are a favorite although I do not fix them often. My mother made homemade applesauce with a certain apple, perhaps a Jonathan or similar leaving the skin on. It was a beautiful pink shade and so delicious. Thank you!

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Ruth Stroud's avatar

Thanks for sharing this memory, Sally! I just made some homemade applesauce with cinnamon that was a little too brown, so I added a bit of leftover cranberry sauce. Now it’s a pretty pink. Homemade applesauce is the best! 🍎

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Samantha Childress's avatar

Ok I will definitely be trying this but also just wanted to say that header video is MESMERIZING. I could watch latkes sizzle all day!

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Ruth Stroud's avatar

Thanks so much for your comment, Sam! They really are wonderful and easy to make—for me also a taste of memory. That video was a lucky capture. Usually I’m literally up to my elbows in oil and wouldn’t touch my phone to get a picture for fear of dropping it in with the batter!

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Samantha Childress's avatar

😂 a crispy fried phone doesn’t sound terribly tasty!

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Amie McGraham's avatar

I wonder if aquafaba (the juice from canned garbanzo beans often used as an egg substitute in vegan dishes) would be a better option in your vegan latkes? I’m not motivated enough to make latkes in general so I’ll just leave this for your future experiment! The corn elotes are intriguing, tho!

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Ruth Stroud's avatar

Thanks for the suggestion re aquafaba, Amie. No vegans are coming this time, but I’m always up for experimenting, including trying those elote latkes.

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Julie B. Hughes's avatar

I'm curious about this as well. Thank you so much Ruth for sharing your recipe.

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Lisa Dearen's avatar

I’ve never made latkes but it looks like a fun recipe to try. Happy Hanukkah!

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Ruth Stroud's avatar

Thanks, Lisa! They're not the most healthy food, but they're a fun treat and call up a lot of taste memories.

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Crowden Satz's avatar

Potato pancakes - Claire loves to make them for the kids. They love them with applesauce. The oxygen reaction that turns them gray is easily counteracted by going into orbit and opening the door. No oxygen - no graying! Plus they dry out nicely that way!

Your comment about lots of oil is spot on. Although your heart and arteries won't be excited by it, oil definitely gives you that nice crispiness and flavor. I recall the first time I made chopped chicken livers using a Jaques Pepin recipe. Which called for an entire stick of butter! Yep, the secret ingredient of tasty cooking - lots of oil, be it EVOO or butter or whatever.

Nice coincidence that you're posting a how-to this week. Because I'll be doing the same. How to make Crowden-approved sourdough bread. Yum!

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Ruth Stroud's avatar

Thanks for your comments, Crowden. I never thought of opening the door to prevent graying potatoes. I'll try it next time. The fat really does make the difference. Interestingly enough, if you get the temperature right, there's less oil in the pancakes than you'd think. I think I made 90 of the little buggers and used a pint, with most of it ending up on the paper towels. But the part that remained was responsible for the delicious factor! Would like to try the chicken livers--and I can't wait for Crowden-approved sourdough bread!

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Vicki Smith's avatar

Yours are more golden (and prettier) than mine. That's a great tip about the onion preventing the potatoes turning color! I'm in total agree on the homemade applesauce. Thanks, Ruth!

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Ruth Stroud's avatar

You’re welcome, Vicki!

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