Ingredients

FOR THE LATKES

1 lb potatoes [figure one med-sized potato per person]

3/4 cup finely chopped onions

2 ribs finely chopped celery

2 tbs. veg. oil

FOR THE ENCHILADAS

½ lb. ground beef

2 chopped tomatoes [don’t remove the seeds; they add liquid to the mix]

1/8 tsp. cumin or to taste

A few hot pepper flakes to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

1/8 tsp. oregano or to taste

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 8 oz. cans tomato sauce

1 tsp. olive oil

Flour tortillas

2 cups white flour, preferably unbleached

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking power

1 tbs. veg. oil

For garnishes:

The applesauce and sour cream are fairly traditional with latkes. Green chiles are more often seen in Southwestern cooking. The avocado really isn’t traditional with either, but it makes a nice color appeal.

Applesauce

Sour Cream

1 avocado, peeled and sliced

2 4.5 cans green chile

Preparation

METHOD

Grate the potatoes last, right before frying them. It keeps them from turning brown.

  1. Finely chop onions and celery.
  2. Grate raw unpeeled potatoes. Squeeze as much liquid as possible out of them; it helps crisp them up.
  3. In a bowl, thoroughly mix the onions, celery and potatoes with the 2 tbs. of oil
  4. Saute potato mixture approx. 20 min., pressing mixture firmly into the skillet. Stir mixture occasionally to prevent potatoes from burning.
  5. Mix flour, water, salt and oil. Knead about 4-5 minutes, just till mixture is no longer very sticky. Pinch off balls about 1 inch in diameter and roll into a thin circle. Fry carefully in a hot ungreased skillet. Turn tortilla when top is covered with bubbles, about 1 minute; cook second about 30 secs. or just till very lightly browned. Tortilla should be still pliable, not stiff. This can be done while the potatoes are sautéing.
  6. In a medium sauce pan, brown the ground beef. Add the rest of the ingredients and let simmer for 20-30 minutes. Sauce will cook down and thicken nicely. If you want a thicker sauce, add a little flour. This sauce can be successfully made ahead. You can make the sauce while the potatoes are sautéing.

TO ASSEMBLE:

Stack the tortillas on a plate on the table. Serve the enchilada sauce, green chiles, applesauce, sour cream, and sliced avocados each in a separate bowl.