5½ pounds red waxy potatoes (a few ounces more or less will not make a difference), peeled
1 large onion, peeled
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp Papa Joe's Original Salt
oil, for frying
1 carrot, washed, cut into 2-inch pieces
Peel potatoes and place in a bowl of very cold water (peeled potatoes can stay in cold water in the fridge for a whole day before using). Set up 3 bowls. In one bowl place a colander or fine mesh strainer.
Use your food processor or the small hole grater of your box grater (the one that looks like spikey circles) to grate the onion. Remove potatoes from water and dry them. Grate half the potatoes like you did the onion.
Next, switch the blade of the food processor (if you're using one) to the fine shredder. Grate the remaining potatoes. Add grated potatoes to the prepared colander. Working quickly, remove a few handfuls of potato mixture and place onto the center of a tea towel. Gather the four corners of the towel and, over the second bowl, twist and squeeze the towel tightly to extract as much liquid as possible from the potatoes. DO NOT DISCARD THE LIQUID YET. Add the drained potato mixture, which should now be very dry, to the third bowl.
Continue until all the potato mixture has been squeezed and is now dry and in the third bowl. Gently pour out all the liquid that was collected from the first two bowls until you reach the starchy layer that has accumulated on the bottom. Use a spoon to scrape up the starch and add that to the potato mixture.
Add eggs and Papa Joe's Original Salt to potato and starch, and mix to combine everything.
Place a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add oil - a little less than ¼ inch - up the side of the pan. Add 1 carrot piece to the oil (this keeps your latkes from burning!)
Set up a cooling rack to place fried latkes on. Add 2 tablespoons of the potato mixture to the hot pan and use the back of a spoon to flatten the latkes.
Cook for 2-3 minutes on the first side, until you see the edges darkening, then flip and cook for 2 minutes on the second side.
Transfer latkes to a cooling rack to drain. Serve hot and enjoy!
Thank you to Peas, Love, and Carrots for this recipe! Watch the video on Instagram!