Happy holidays, and welcome back to another edition of Food for the Common Dude! Since the weather FINALLY cooled down (which means I can FINALLY wear sweaters), you can whip up these tasty latkes after walking home from school and not die of heat stroke (Looking at you 40 degrees in the morning and 90 degrees at noon weather!). These latkes work for almost any occasion. Are your friends coming over after school today but you forgot to make them some snacks? Fear not! Just sprint the entire distance to your house so you get there before your friends, cook these as fast as that kid on MasterChef Junior who had to restart his potatoes, and they’ll be ready when your friends walk in the door! They’ll be super impressed (and no longer hungry). Even if your friends aren’t coming over today, you can still share this timeless recipe with your family over the upcoming holiday break. One last tip: this recipe takes around 45 minutes to an hour to make.

Ingredients:

• 6-7 Idaho potatoes (Russets)
• 2-3 tablespoons of oil (For cooking the potatoes in)
• 1 egg
• 1-2 teaspoons of salt
• 1-2 teaspoons of pepper
• Applesauce (Optional)
• Sour cream (Optional)

Directions:

1. Peel each of the potatoes.
2. Using a coarse grater, grate the potatoes over a large bowl.
3. Beat an egg and pour it into the bowl of grated potatoes.
4. Add some salt and pepper (I used 1 teaspoon of each) to taste.
5. Over medium-high heat, warm up your pan and cooking oil (enough to crisp the edges). When you put the oil into the pan, add 1 tablespoon at a time until the bottom of the pan is covered.
6. Using a slotted spoon, spoon the grated potatoes into a pan to make the pancakes, about 4-5 inches wide.
7. When the latkes start to bubble in the middle, turn them over (only once).
8. Serve with applesauce and/or sour cream (Optional, but strongly recommended).

Nutrition Facts:

Per Serving: 102 calories; 4.4 g fat; 11.3 g carbohydrates; 4.5 g protein; 620 mg sodium