My M.I.L. (mother-in-law) was gracious enough to take me under her wing in all things cooking (which can be a dangerous proposition, especially when it comes to me and knives or hot oil). So in exchange for this week's (latke) lesson I peeled the potatoes. Apparently there used to be a salesman in New York City that would sit on the corner and sell potato peelers; it was his only job. And he was damn good at it too. He would sit, and peel and for $5 you could take away the world's best potato peeler. Here's a story about him http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26976442/ns/today-today_people/. Suffice it to say, the MIL bought one and it is indeed, the best potato peeler I've ever used.
She walked me through her Latke process which included utilizing the food processor to its full potential and understanding the pros and serious cons of frying with hot oil.
Last night, I combined her Latke tips with a recipe from Kosher By Design by Susie Fishbein http://www.amazon.com/Kosher-Design-Picture-Perfect-Holidays/dp/1578197074/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1288386252&sr=8-1 and tips from Cooking Light magazine: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001860088
My recipe was as follows:
1. Peel 5 potatoes (I put them on my scale, yes the one in the bathroom, and yes I scrubbed them afterwards, to see if they were the "2lbs" all the recipes called for. It didn't work so I just guestimated. They turned out to be about the right amount of potatoes).
2. In a food processor use the grating plate and grate all the potatoes. Take out half of the grated potatoes and drain. Leave the other half in the food processor.
3. Replace the plate in the food processor with the basic blade and blend in 2 yellow onions. Drain the mixture.
4. Combine grated potatoes and onion and potato mixture.
5. Add 1 egg, 1/2 cup flour, 2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper,and 1 tsp. baking soda to mixture. Mix together.
6. Put 1 cup of oil (I used canola, but I hear grapeseed is better) into a non-stick pan. Heat on medium heat until it crackles but doesn't smoke. (If you have a vent I highly suggest you use it, otherwise your apartment will smell like a diner).
7. Place 1 tablespoon of the latke mix in the pan in a "clockwise" direction, that way you know which latke you put in first (thanks MIL). Brown on both sides, and when done place on a plate covered in lots of paper towels to absorb oil.
8. Apparently the recipe in Kosher by Design says you can make them up to 4 hours early and then place them in an oven at 375 for 5 minutes to reheat.
Et voila! Latkes! And seriously nummy no less. Serve with apple sauce and if you aren't kosher, with sour cream or if you are, tofu sour cream.
The Brisket--duh duh duuuuh!!
I got the recipe from William Sonoma Essentials of Slow Cooking: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/essentials-of-slow-cooking-cookbook/?pkey=ccookbooks%7Cctlcbkess
It was TASTY! I was a little confused about the whole trimming the fat issue. So I guessed and left just a little on for flavor. Apparantly that was the right way to go. I think in retrospect the brisket needed to cook on low for a lot longer so it had that melt in your mouth quality and I could have cut it waaay thinner. But I will cook it in a 300 degree oven today for an hour to 2 hours to give it that quality and re cut in much smaller slices.
I also made this really great asparagus from Kosher by Design (really enjoying the book!)
I may even make my husband a brisket panini with the recipe's onions and some cheese. So bad its good!
As it was shabbos, I made challah, and it was better this time. I used the bread machine recipe again but instead of making 2 challahs I made one big one. Much fluffier.
My papa-in-law bought Sufgniyot from Vienna bakery (no dairy so I could enjoy them) and krispy-kremes for everyone else. He's a good man.
All in beautiful Hanukkah meal, mainly because I could enjoy it with people I love.
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