At a restaurant recently I had some mixed potato pancakes that were heavenly. Can they be made at home? I am not into fancy cooking so your recipe needs to be easy. June Johnstone

Potato pancakes or latkes are are not too difficult to make at home. The secret is to wring out the water from the potatoes so that you don't get splattered when frying them. My mother would traditionally serve these during Lent on Friday for a meatless meal. I like them any time, as a side dish for dinner or even breakfast.

Sweet Potato Pancakes or Latkes - a variaiton from the Food Network Kitchens

1/2 - 1 medium onion 1/2 lb. Yukon gold potato, about 1 large 1/2 lb. sweet potato, about 1 medium 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour 1 tsp. salt pinch cayenne 1 large eggs, lightly beaten vegetable oil 4 tsp. light sour cream,optional 4 tsp. horseradish or more to taste,optional 4 Tbsp.applesauce, optional

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Put a wire rack on a baking sheet and place in oven. 2. Grate the onion into a large bowl. Grate both potatoes into the same bowl, grating down the length of a box grater to get long strands. Toss the potatoes with the onions as you work to keep them from discoloring. Put the potato mixture into a clean dish towel and wring out the excess liquid. Put the potatoes in a dry bowl and toss the potato mixture with the flour, salt and cayenne. Stir in the egg. 3. Heat a 1/4-inch oil in a large cast iron or other heavy skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, spoon about 1/4 cup of the potato mixture into the skillet, pressing lightly to form 3-inch pancakes. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan. Cook, turning once, until just golden, about 2minutes. Transfer to the rack in the oven while you cook the remaining batter. 4. Serve the pancakes topped with a small dallop of sour cream and horseradish or applesauce if desired. Serve immediately. Makes 8 potato pancakes.

Looking for a favorite recipe? E-mail Marge Biancke at a2mailbox@comcast.net.