Food on Friday: Lots of latkes

By Julia Westhoff

My grandmother, Doris Sanchez, is a Romanian Jew who married a Mexican Catholic and raised an American son who was at various points a Southern Baptist and a Midwestern Congregationalist.

Did you catch all that? Me neither.

The point is that holidays at our house were always a bit of a hodge podge – mostly Christmas with a bit of Hanukkah thrown in for spice. It was a great time, and it’s how I plan on raising my daughters, too. We won’t do much to celebrate Hanukkah (which begins next Saturday), but we’ll light some candles and eat our share of latkes, those potato pancakes fried in oil and smothered with sour cream or applesauce.

Even if you don’t celebrate Hanukkah, I encourage you to give these latkes a try – they’re fun, delicious and make a great accompaniment to a whole host of main dishes (just like my Grandma Doris).