Hi.  My name is Mark and this is my cooking blog.

I get asked a lot for my recipes, so I decided to start this cooking blog.  What you’ll find here will be my recipes and my variations on others’ recipes, my cooking tips and who knows what else. 

I should say up front that I’m lactose intolerant (check out my lactose intolerance site www.nowhey.org) and I also try to live a low-carb lifestyle.  So the recipes you’ll find here will generally be devoid of milk and milk products and try, wherever possible, to be low in carbs.

I hope you enjoy the site and the recipes.

Mark

Nothing beats home-made latkes (potato pancakes).  They are primarily potato and onion, but some people make them “mushy” with the potatoes and onion ground to a pulp.  Others make them with the potatoes shredded like hash browns.  Either way there’s a lot of prep on the day you make them. 

This recipe was designed to accomplish two goals:  Have the latkes pre-made so they could just be fried on the day you want to eat them, and to be able to make them in a deep fryer.  Both goals are accomplished by freezing the latkes and frying them direct from the freezer. 

This recipe uses the shredded potato approach and simplifies that by using frozen hash browns.  You can, of course, shred your own potatoes.

Ingredients
(makes about 16 good sized latkes)

1 30 oz package of frozen hash browns
2 medium to large onions
2 extra-large eggs
2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 tbs potato starch

In a small bowl beat the eggs, salt and pepper until well mixed.   Peel and grate the onion, either with a box grater or use the chopping blade on a food processor.  Put the grated onion and it’s juice in a large mixing bowl.  Pour in the bag of frozen hash browns (yes, still frozen).  If they are frozen in a clump, beat the bag before opening to break them apart.  Pour the egg mixture over the top and stir a few times.  Sprinkle the potato starch over the top and stir thoroughly until everything is well combined and the potatoes are coated thoroughly.   Take about 1/3 of the mixture and place in the food processor with the chopping blade.  Pulse until you have a chunky mush.  Return the mixture to the bowl with the rest of the potatoes and mix thoroughly.

Measure out about 1/2 cup of the mixture onto a non-stick cookie sheet or sheet pan.  Form this into a rough patty about 1/2 inch thick.  The potatoes will be loose and really not stick together like dough.  Repeat with the rest of the mixture.  (This will take several cookie sheets.)   Put the cookie sheets in the freezer and freeze until they are frozen hard (several hours at least).  Once the latkes are frozen, they will stay together.  Lift them from the cookie sheets (by hand or with a spatula) and put them into a freezer bag and keep frozen until ready to use.

To use, remove from the freezer and fry while still frozen.  You can either deep fry them or shallow fry them in a frying pan until golden on both sides.