Wash and peel your potatoes, keeping them in a bowl of cold water to avoid oxidation. I use the shredder disc in my food processor to shred the potatoes and onions, but if you don’t have a food processor, you can make them the old-fashioned way by grating the potatoes on a box grater and finely dicing the onions. If you use a food processor, I like to grate the potatoes sideways for longer strands.

Once shredded, place the potatoes and onions over a colander in your sink, and have a very large bowl handy. Using your hands, squeeze handfuls of the potatoes and onions over your sink, squeezing out as much liquid as possible. The key to great latkes is getting all the moisture out of the vegetables that you can. Transfer each handful of dry potato and onion to the large bowl.

Pour about ¼ cup (60mL) oil into a pan—I prefer cast iron—and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering.

While the oil is heating, add in the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper to the potatoes and onions, and mix until well-combined.

Move the large bowl, along with an empty medium bowl, near to your stovetop. Place a large plate or platter lined with paper towels on a nearby countertop.

Grab a handful of latke mixture and squeeze each handful once more over the empty bowl, getting rid of as much liquid as you can. Form your latke into a patty, and add to the hot oil, being very careful not to let the oil splatter. Make sure that your latkes are not too thick, or they may burn on the outside and not cook through on the inside.

Repeat until your pan is reasonably full. With a metal spatula or a fork, turn each latke as it cooks so that they become deeply golden-brown on each side (roughly 2-3 minutes per side). Continue adding oil as needed for each new batch, and adjust the heat as needed to ensure an even cook. I usually turn the heat down to medium after the first batch or two.

Transfer the finished latkes to the paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool.

Serve immediately, or transfer to a warm oven until ready to eat. Serve with applesauce and/or sour cream.