The lazy girl’s guide latkes and matzo ball soup and a giveaway

It’s Hanukkah and Dave’s been seriously cashing in on his first year celebrating the festival of lights.

He still can’t get over the whole presents-for-eight-nights-in-a-row thing; he hustled me for 20 bucks in his first game of dreidel (beginner’s luck); and he enjoyed a couple of the best dishes Judaism has to offer: Latkes and matzo ball soup.

It’s been a lazy couple of weeks  for me and the thought of shredding four pounds of Russets gave me a headache. Lucky for me, I had this fabulous Progresso package from MyBlogSpark (Which one lucky commenter will also win, courtesy of Progresso via MyBlogSpark) …

… and some frozen hash browns. Soooooo, I present to you …

Lazy latkes and mellow matzo ball soup

Lazy Latkes

You’ll need:

6 cups frozen hash browns (about one large bag)

1/2 of a large yellow onion, minced

2 eggs

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

ground pepper (5-10 turns or the grinder)

1-2 teaspoons salt (kosher, of course)

vegetable oil for frying

Before I start, a message to all you traditionalists out there—once you go frozen (hash browns, that is), you’ll never go back. These turned out flawlessly with a fraction of the work. And your bubby will never know the difference.

Thaw your hash browns and let them “drain” on paper towels. Dry out the minced onions as well. You’ll want to make sure you get as much of the moisture out as possible—otherwise the latkes fall apart in the pan. Mix the potatoes, onions, eggs, bread crumbs, salt and pepper together and form into small patties. Heat the vegetable oil on medium heat and fry the latkes (about 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown). Serve with applesauce and sour cream.

Mellow matzo ball soup

You’ll need:

For broth:

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

4 large carrots, chopped

1/2 of a yellow onion, chopped

For matzo balls:

3/4 cup matzo meal

3 eggs

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Remember what I said about the latke cheat? Ditto for the pre-made broth. Heat your broth and veggies in a covered pot until veggies are cooked through. Mix all ingredients for matzo balls and form into golf-ball sized balls. Drop into hot broth and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Now leave a comment telling me what your favorite holiday tradition is. I’ll pick a random winner next Thursday (12/24) and you’ll get the lovely package you see above. Consider it your Hanukkah present.