Hanukkah starts tomorrow at sundown and with it brings an assortment of yummy seasonal foods. It is traditional to eat food that are fried during Hanukkah because the cooking fat symbolizes the oil that burned for eight days instead of one in the temple. My favorite Hanukkah food is the humble latke, because really, there's very little that's better than the fried potato.
The first time I made potato latkes was my junior year of college, when I was an RA. I decided that I wanted to do a Hanukkah-themed study break and so determined to make latkes. For 75 people. Thankfully, someone in my hall had a salad spinner, so I didn't have to do all the shredding by hand. But let me tell you, it was worth the three hours of shredding, mixing, draining and frying (we kept them warm and mostly crisp on a sheet pan in the oven). They were delicious.
If you're searching for latke recipes, look no further. I've searched far and wide for an assortment of links to good recipes, from the basic to the more unique. Happy frying!
1. Last year, Deb stayed fairly traditional with a latke recipe adapted from Food and Wine. These puppies are what I think of when someone says the word latke to me.
2. If you want to start getting a little fancier, check out these Potato-Turnip Duck-Fat Latkes over at Chow. Even just thinking about them makes me start to salivate ever so slightly.
3. Epicurious offers five variations on the latke theme. I am particularly intrigued by the New England-Style Cod and Potato Cakes with Tartar Sauce latkes.
4. Over at That's Fit, one of our sister sites, they have taken the greasy latke and made it low fat. It's a good recipe, if you want to go that direction (although it does sort of defeat the purpose. I'm just sayin').
5. For those of you who aren't fans of potato, you might be thinking about how to turn other veggies into latkes. Look no further than Elana's Butternut Squash Latkes.
6. Another variation on the theme, Eat Like a Girl does it with beets. They look a little disconcerting, but I'm sure they taste wonderful and earthy.
7. From the archives at the Amateur Gourmet, Adam makes latkes with apples and celeriac. Yum, yum!
8. And for the visual learners, check the episode of Fork You that Scott and I filmed last year in which we made latkes. Or as Scott calls them, kosher hashbrowns.
Yesterday over on the 
If you are anything like me, in addition to being a fan of Iron Chef America, you've wondered what it's
like to actually be inside kitchen stadium during a culinary battle. Not as one of the chefs, of course, but simply as
a spectator. Unfortunately, due to the confidentiality agreement that studio audiences must sign, it seems unlikely
that many first hand accounts of what the live show is like are going to come our way. Fortunately, though, the 
Cheese Course: Brebis Pardou
A transcendent summer tomato salad
Sliced bread turns 80 today
