Please welcome my friend author Mary Welk. Mary is a retired ER Nurse with a wicked sense of humor and several wonderful books and short stories. She does have a story in the Missing Anthology with her series character Caroline Rhodes. You can learn more about Mary at http://www.marywelk.com Enjoy! - Amy

Memories can sometimes trick you. You think you remember an event as clear as day, but then you find yourself recalling it in the company of those who shared in the event, and their memories of it are quite different.

So it goes with my memory of the day my mother upgraded from “how it was always done” to “the wonders of modern technology”. I’m talking cooking here, and in particular, the creation of that wonderful dish called potato pancakes.

Back when I was growing up, my mother’s ‘Friday night special’ during Lent was always potato pancakes. Thin and crispy, and served with hefty helpings of applesauce and cottage cheese, those palm-sized delights disappeared from our plates faster than my mother could fry them. We kids ate them with gusto, knowing full well that when Lent ended, we could expect grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup or baked mac and cheese casserole for our meatless Friday dinners. Potato pancakes were a pain to prepare, a Lenten penance for my mom whose fingertips came into contact with her hand-led grater as often as did the potatoes. It wasn’t unusual to hear her mutter, “Never again” as she dropped the grater in the sink and dashed to the bathroom for bandages.

“Never again” came soon enough for my Catholic family when our church abolished the requirement to go meatless on Fridays except during Lent. My mom quickly decided we could make do with fish or cheese pizza for those four or five weeks preceding Easter. As for her Lenten penance, she’d much rather give up chocolate than skin.

Thus, the lowly grater was consigned to the back of a kitchen cabinet, removed only to shred cabbage for an occasional dish of coleslaw. My sister and I, though, never forgot the wonderful taste of potato pancakes. One Christmas, while shopping for our parents, we came across a Hamilton Beach blender on sale at a local store. I recall the look of triumph we exchanged when we read the advertising on the side of the box and discovered this blender could chop, grate, or grind any vegetable known to man, including potatoes.

Ah ha! We had found the solution to our potato pancakes problem! Quicker than you could say ‘Uncle!’, we pooled our money and bought that blender. And this is where my memories differ from my sister’s. She claims that Mom used that blender within minutes of unwrapping it, and the first thing she made with it was a cocktail called a Golden Peacock. I don’t remember that at all, but I do remember that we never lacked for potato pancakes again. Mom just diced the potatoes, threw them in the blender, and voila! Instant grated potatoes ready to be mixed with the other ingredients and fried to perfection on a hot skillet.

And now I give you my mother’s recipe for potato pancakes, the one she got from her mother and the one I still use today, although updated with the addition of a blender.





Potato Pancakes (serves four)

6 white potatoes, preferably Idahos, peeled, diced, and placed in cold water for at least one hour (better longer), then drained.

Place in blender:
1 egg
1 slice onion per potato
¼ tsp. salt per potato

Gradually add potatoes to above ingredients and blend on high until you have a smooth batter.

Pour batter into bowl and add 1 rounded tablespoon of flour for each potato used. Mix well.

Fry in very hot oil until crispy, turning once as pancakes brown. Drain on paper towels before serving.

These pancakes are thin and crispy and taste wonderul served with applesauce and cottage cheese or sour cream.