eclaire (what’s in a) name?

way back in december of 2003, i was sitting at the dentist office, waiting for my turn to have my teeth cleaned, and i stumbled across an article about latke parties. the article suggested throwing a food-based holiday party instead of coordinating a gift-giving secret pal party or a white elephant party. the article advocated latkes and homemade applesauce as the food of choice, and i decided that we had to throw a latke party that year to celebrate the holidays and create a secular event that all of our friends could attend, regardless of religious beliefs. and let’s face it, fried potatoes and homemade applesauce are amazing.

the party has morphed quite a bit over the years – although we still grate all the potatoes by hand (i know a food processor would be easier, but it’s nice to have everyone contribute, and by now it’s tradition), we grate the onion in our food processor to avoid lots of painful tears. and we’ve learned that we need to have lots of graters and peelers on hand, so we’re not limited by our kitchen tools (and here i have to give a great big THANKS to all of our friends and family for making this sixth annual latke party both possible and fabulous). somewhere along the line, a friend gave me a sweet potato latke recipe that we make alongside the potato latkes (they are soo delicious!). and we’ve also learned (the hard way, i’m afraid) that we need to grate at least 10 pounds of potatoes and 6 pounds of sweet potatoes to yield enough latkes to feed 30 people, and we ask our guests to bring side dishes and desserts to keep everyone full and happy.

below you’ll find the recipe for both potato latkes and sweet potato latkes, and later in the week i’ll post the applesauce recipe for all of you to make. i have to apologize for the dearth of actual latke-making pictures to show you the process, as all of our hands were starchy from grating and peeling, and we were happily running around most of the night. but the recipes are easy to follow and super tasty, and you can always ask questions in the comments section. now that you have a whole year to test the recipes, you can also start thinking about throwing your own latke parties next year! i hope all of you have a happy holiday season!

potato latkes

adapted from marthastewart.com
yields 20 servings (about 60 latkes)

• 6T all purpose flour
• 9T plain breadcrumbs
• 2½t salt
• 1t pepper
• 6 eggs
• 10lbs russet potatoes
• 3 medium onions
• cheesecloth
• LOTS of oil, peanut preferably
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1. mix flour, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and eggs in a very large bowl
2. fill a separate large bowl with cold water
3. peel and grate potatoes, placing grated potatoes into cold water as you work (this is a long process and potatoes will oxidize if not placed into water)
4. drain bowl with water and potatoes into large colander and add grated onion (preferably grated in food processor)
5. cut cheesecloth into approx 6″x6″ pieces
6. grab a handful of potatoes and onion and place into cheesecloth, wringing out excess water (really wring it hard!)
7. place dry potatoes and onions into large bowl with flour and egg mixture and mix well to combine
8. pour oil into large pan and heat over medium-high heat
9. form 3″ patties out of the potato mixture, place into pans, and heat about 4 minutes per side
10. drain on paper towels and serve with applesauce and sour cream and enjoy!

sweet potato latkes

adapted from recipezaar.com
yields 10 servings (about 30 latkes)

• 12 eggs
• 3t baking powder
• 1½c matzo meal
• 3t salt
• 1t pepper
• oil for frying, preferably peanut or corn
• 6lbs sweet potatoes
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1. mix eggs, baking powder, matzo meal, salt, and pepper in large bowl
2. peel and grate sweet potatoes, placing into large bowl as you go
3. mix sweet potatoes and matzo/egg mixture well
4. pour oil into large pan and heat over medium-high heat
5. form 3″ patties out of the sweet potato mixture, place into pans, and heat about 4 minutes per side
6. drain on paper towels and serve with applesauce and sour cream and enjoy!