MAYBE, JUST MAYBE: IT'S CRUNCH TIME

So my irrepressible partner, Dennis Lavinthal, either finally learned how to read or had his daughter check out my columns. It seems he mostly liked my last short missive, the one with a picture of me cooking (reiterated below), and since we often share recipes, he requested that I serve up my family recipe for latkes. He also asked for my secret for making baked potatoes that are crusty on the outside and soft on the inside and recipes for fish and vegetables.

So we’ll start things off with easy, perfect potato pancakes; expect further culinary tips in the new year. Also, probably, some stuff about the music business.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 large potatoes
• 1 medium onion
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 pinch baking powder

For best results, use an electric frying pan—a regular pan can fry unevenly. Grate the potatoes and onions and mix together with all the ingredients. Don’t use too much oil in the pan. Shape them in your (wet) hands, put them in when the oil is really hot, wait until they are golden brown, then turn them and repeat. The goal is to get them crispy on the outside and fairly soft on the inside. The small pieces of crust that end up in the pan are an extra treat.

Double the recipe for double the latkes. You may also want to invest in a defibrillator.