a few years ago i dated a human whose legacy lives on in two tasty ways: his mom’s meatless meatballs and his dad’s latkes. his dad’s latkes were perfect. crispy on the outside, soft and flavorful on the inside. i remember being in shock when i first had them at his family’s annual hanukkah party because not even the best delis could make them this good. and since then i haven’t had the pleasure of post-break-up latkes {has anyone?}.

but then last week i decided that if i’m going to throw a kickass how the mensch stole christmas party, i need to make good latkes. so i sat and thought about ways to get the recipe. do i just try to shoot in the dark and try to recreate them? do i hope that a letter from ex-boyfriend magically arrives at my doorstep saying hey! no worries that you didn’t wish me a happy birthday for the third year in a row, but i thought you’d like my dad’s latke recipe!? do i straight up ask him?

i asked twitter what to do

and secretly i hoped that maybe one of my twitter followers who knew my dating history would pass on the message and eliminate my needing to ask. but that didn’t happen.

so finally i just sucked it up and facebooked the man. i know, this is a really anticlimactic ending to a not-really-climactic story. the point is i got the recipe, a bit of jewish guilt, and THE BEST DAMNED LATKES I EVER DAMNED MADE.

{now i wonder what kind of karma i have to acquire in order to get his mom’s meatless balls recipe.}

ex-boyfriend latkes!

{makes about 18. and i’m going to eat five because i earned them.}

to be real, this recipe is simply based on ex-boyfriend's dad's recipe because he didn't have exact measurements.

ingredients

5 medium russet potatoes

1 medium yellow onion

salt + pepper to taste {i use about 5 large pinches of salt}

the juice of 1 lemon

6 egg whites

1 c all-purpose flour

oil, for frying

apple sauce + sour cream, for serving

directions

shred potatoes and onion using a food processor or mandoline. add salt and squeeze out as much moisture as you can by pouring them into a cheese cloth and squeezing over the sink. place in a large bowl, add pepper, lemon juice, egg whites, and flour. mix well.

heat about 1/4" oil in a large pan over medium high heat, and then scoop spoonfuls of mixture {i use an ice cream scoop} into the pan. flatten a bit with a spatula, and brown on both sides.

remove from the pan and pat off excess oil with paper towels. serve with apple sauce and sour cream.