Potato Latkes

Ingredients

• 12 servings accompaniments: cream and applesauce sour
• 1 large eggs lightly beaten
• 0.5 cup olive oil 
• 0.5 cup onion finely chopped
• 1 pound potatoes 
• 0.5 teaspoon salt 

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• baking sheet
• paper towels
• oven
• wire rack
• baking pan
• kitchen towels
• colander

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 250°F.
2. Peel potatoes and coarsely grate by hand, transferring to a large bowl of cold water as grated. Soak potatoes 1 to 2 minutes after last batch is added to water, then drain well in a colander.
3. Spread grated potatoes and onion on a kitchen towel and roll up jelly-roll style. Twist towel tightly to wring out as much liquid as possible.
4. Transfer potato mixture to a bowl and stir in egg and salt.
5. Heat 1/4 cup oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Working in batches of 4 latkes, spoon 2 tablespoons potato mixture per latke into skillet, spreading into 3-inch rounds with a fork. Reduce heat to moderate and cook until undersides are browned, about 5 minutes. Turn latkes over and cook until undersides are browned, about 5 minutes more.
6. Transfer to paper towels to drain and season with salt.
7. Add more oil to skillet as needed. Keep latkes warm on a wire rack set in a shallow baking pan in oven.
8. ·Latkes may be made up to 8 hours ahead. Reheat on a rack set over a baking sheet in a 350°F oven, about 5 minutes.·Grating the potatoes, soaking them briefly in water, and then squeezing out the liquid (as we've done here) keeps the batter from turning brown too quickly.