Cooking with Kids: Potato Pancakes
By Sarah Caron on August 7th, 2009 • 2 Comments
Have you cooked with your kids lately?
To some people, the idea of having children in the kitchen is a horrifying one. Danger lurks everywhere between the sharp knives used, the hot surfaces and ovens and the potential to fall from chairs. To me, those are just safety issues that you instruct the kids to avoid and then trust that they will (and, in my experience, they do).
It’s a magical experience to be a child helping in the kitchen. The child might not be the one actually slaving at the stove, but they can assist with mixing, grating and even measuring. These skills are so much more important than the actions themselves. They promote dexterity, concentration and more. And, imparting the sense of tradition (as in, this is how our family makes these things) and practical knowledge of how to cook is a wonderful thing. For the children, there is also a sense of accomplishment.
I mentioned in my introduction that when I was a child, my aunt and I would cook together on Sundays. One dish we often make was potato pancakes from scratch. It was a glorious experience, grating waxy potatoes with a box grater, mixing up the batter and then cooking them in a hot pan at the stove. I was very young, so I don’t remember much of the cooking aspect, but I do remember how exciting it was to be allowed to help, to contribute, to create. And I followed the rules set forth for me: stay away from the stove, do what was asked and pay attention.
Even now, more than 25 years later, I can still remember the taste of fresh, hot potato pancakes just off the stove and dipped in chilled applesauce. Amazing. Nothing compares to the taste of freshly made, home-cooked potato pancakes. Nothing.
I don’t have the recipe my aunt and I used, but there are some fabulous recipes for potato pancakes, also known as latkes, out there. Don’t forget to serve up with some tasty applesauce and smooth sour cream.
- Potato pancakes (with mashed potatoes) at Retro Food.
- Potato pancakes (with grated potatoes) at The Perfect Pantry.
- Baked sweet potato latkes at Erin Cooks.
- Oven baked latkes at Baking Bites.
