Happy Chanukah!

Marni and I decided to make latkes tonight, which, for you non-Jews, are potato pancakes, a traditional Chanukah dish along with donuts*.

I found a recipe for Potato, Artichoke, and Feta Cheese Latkes, which sounded too good to pass up. So we made 'em:



Looks like fish or something, huh? This is actually the first batch, which didn't have enough bread crumbs to make it firm. Normally, latkes are very simple: potato and onion, and that's pretty much it. These had a bunch more ingredients, so fell apart a little easier. Then we added in more bread crumbs, and they looked pretty much right:



Hey, there's that giant human-shaped cup of coffee again!



And then they were done. I have to say, latkes are delicious, and these didn't taste EXACTLY like latkes, but still fantastic. They're good as a latke alternative, and would also make a great side dish/main dish for a Greek meal.

The recipe is here, at Epicurious, although I'll paste the full recipe below, with a little tweaking/notes.

However, definitely check out the recipe review section in full. Some dude from New York goes ballistic over the idea of non-traditional latkes, and then everybody else calls him insane. It's hilarious.

*By the way, I've become totally obsessed with the idea of making donuts. It will happen. Oh yes, it shall.

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POTATO, ARTICHOKE AND FETA CHEESE LATKES
Courtesy of Epicurious

2-3 large red-skinned potatoes (approx. 1.5-2 lbs)
1 9-ounce package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed, diced, patted dry
2/3 cup chopped leek (white and pale green parts only; should be one medium sized leek)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
6 ounces feta cheese, diced
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
6 tbsp. olive oil (to start)

Cook potatoes in pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 20 minutes. You should be able to stick a fork in 'em, and feel resistence about half an inch in. Drain. Cool completely and peel.

Using hand grater or food processor, grate potatoes. Add artichokes and leek. Mix Parmesan, egg, mint, oregano, salt and pepper in small bowl. Add to potato mixture. Stir in feta and enough breadcrumbs to form mixture that holds together... Start with about 1/3 cup of bread crumbs, and keep adding until it becomes very firm.

Heat 6 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium heat. With your hands, make a medium sized ball (smaller than a tennis ball, bigger than a ping-pong) of the mixture, and then flatten it out until it's about 1/2 to 1 inch thick.

Place 3-4 pancakes into skillet. Cook until brown, about 4-6 minutes per side. After they are done, place them on a plate covered with a paper towel to drain a little of the oil. Repeat with remaining pancakes, adding more oil to skillet by tablespoonfuls as necessary. Serve hot.