Begin With Basics

• Before you start making variations, learn about traditional latkes. Potato pancakes, formed more like a solid crab cake or hamburger patty than the classic liquid-batter pancake, start with grated raw potatoes. Drain them of most of the watery content and add the potato pieces to a mixture of flour and eggs to bind them together. Then drop the mixture by the spoonful onto a hot skillet to which several spoonfuls of fat have been added, flatten them on top, and fry them for about 4 minutes per side.

Switch It Up

• Switching cornmeal for flour or matzo meal to bind together raw potato pieces adds extra crunch. For every 4 potatoes you use in the recipe, blend in 3 eggs and 2 tablespoons of cornmeal, as well as salt and pepper to taste. The blend varies depending on the type of potatoes you use and how finely you grate the pieces. Add extra cornmeal if the mixture seems a little soupy. Fry them as you would traditional potato pancakes.

Get Crusty

• Use cornmeal as a crust for cakes made from mashed potatoes. After bringing the leftover potatoes to room temperature, mix a beaten egg into the mixture. Then form them into patty shapes and dip them in a shallow bowl of beaten egg whites. The egg whites help the cornmeal adhere to the potato cakes as a crust. After dredging the egg-dipped cakes through a shallow bowl of cornmeal on both sides, fry them in a hot, oiled pan for 4 to 5 minutes per side.

Liven Up Latkes

• An onion is often grated alongside raw potatoes to give latkes bite. To add a twist, use mashed sweet potatoes to create a vitamin-rich take on the traditional dish. A few tablespoons each of cornmeal and chopped pecans add additional crunch to sweet potato latkes. Or, use tofu instead of eggs in your white potato-cornmeal blend to satisfy vegan diets. Ethnic seasonings, grated vegetables and fresh herbs are another obvious way to help the cakes go global, whether you're trying for Indian curry flavor, German heartiness or Mexican heat.