For the last few years I've been sort of smug about my latke ability. For some reason, I've always been able to turn out perfect, round, golden, crispy latkes on the first try. But after yesterday's debacle, I realize that it wasn't me, it was my recipe. You see, I decided to change my perfect recipe to include half sweet potatoes, thinking they'd incorporate just like the normal, starchy potatoes. Only they didn't. They were too hard and didn't have nearly enough starch, so my pancakes never stayed together. I instead ended up with a pan full of sweet potato/regular potato hash browns, which were delicious, but were not what I was going for.

So, if you were thinking about incorporating sweet potatoes into your latkes this weekend, make sure to follow a recipe (like this one from Epicurious, which uses are more egg and flour than I did). And, if you want the recipe that made me feel all smug about my latke abilities, that one is after the jump. Potato Latkes

4 small starchy potatoes, grated
1 medium onion, grated
2 tablespoons flour
1 beaten egg
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
enough oil to go about a 1/2 inch up the side of the pan.

Grate potatoes into a colander and drain (some recipes recommend that you do this over a bowl in order to catch the starch that presses out of them. I've never gotten much grainy starch and that seems like too much trouble). I press on them to hurry the draining process. I add the grated onion, toss and press again to try and get any extra liquid out. Remove potato/onion mixture to a bowl and mix with the rest of the ingredients. Heat your oil and when it seems hot enough, drop a spoonful of latke mixture in. If it sizzles agressively, you're ready to get going. Cook the latkes in batches, allowing them to drain on some newsprint or paper towel before serving. They should be eaten hot though, so make sure your friends and family are hungry and not too far away. Serve with applesauce, sour cream or eat them on their own.