Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 125117 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 626(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125117 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 626(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
13. As of 2022, New Orleans is about 60 percent Black. In The Holiday Trap, though, there is only one Black character: Victoria. The author, Roan Parrish, is white. Conversations about who should write and publish stories across different experiences are always happening and evolving. Why do you think the author chose to make the four main characters white? Do you think it was the right decision? Why or why not?
14. One of Truman’s regrets is that he didn’t tell Guy’s partner that Guy is a cheater. Greta ameliorates this and tells him in no uncertain terms. Do you think she did the right thing? How is her decision representative of the ways she’s changed from the beginning to the end of the book? What would you have done in her situation? Would you want to know, if you were in the position of Guy’s partner?
Roan Parrish’s Latkes
makes 8–10ish—scale up for more
INGREDIENTS
6 russet potatoes
2 onions
2 eggs (or, to make vegan, sub chia egg for each egg*)
salt
pepper
garlic powder
vegetable/corn/safflower oil
EQUIPMENT
box grater or food processor
tea towel or T-shirt
cooling rack
SERVE WITH
applesauce
sour cream
ketchup
*Chia egg = 1 tablespoon chia seeds mixed with 3 tablespoons water. Let it sit until it forms a gel consistency, and it’ll bind just like egg.
INSTRUCTIONS
Shred your potatoes and onions.
Transfer shredded veg into a tea towel and squeeze into a bowl until all moisture is gone. This could take several minutes and if you tend to cry from onions you might want to see if you can con a housemate into squeezing it for you . Whoever does the deed, you want as little moisture left as possible. The dryer your mixture, the crispier your latkes will be.
NOTE: Do NOT dump out the water you squeeze. Let it sit in the bowl until you’re ready to season your latke mix. Then slowly pour out the water, which will reveal a white substance at the bottom of the bowl. This is potato starch!
Scrape potato starch out of the bowl and add it to your latke mixture along with your eggs. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to your taste. (I don’t recommend using fresh garlic in your latkes because the temperature you’ll be frying them at is hot enough that it’ll burn the garlic on the outside.)
Heat some oil in a pan on medium-high. You want enough oil to come halfway up a latke, but you’ll be flipping them, so this isn’t a deep-frying situation. It’s the right temp when a little bit of potato starts to sizzle immediately when dropped in.
Shape your latkes by taking a palmful of potato mixture and squeezing it into a patty. More liquid will probably come out, which is great—you want the latkes to go into the pan as dry as possible.
Fry your latkes until browned and crispy, then flip and do the same on the other side. I go by color, but it’s about 2–5 minutes on each side, depending on oil temp and size.
Putting hot latkes on a plate will make condensation, which leaves latkes soggy. I recommend taking them from the pan and putting them directly on a cookie cooling rack, so air can circulate around them. Hit them with a good sprinkle of salt when they’re still wet with oil, and you’re ready to eat!
NOTE: If you’re making a large batch, you can keep latkes warm out of the pan by putting them on a cookie sheet in a 200-degree oven.
Now comes the most important question: How do you like to eat your latkes best—with applesauce, sour cream, or ketchup? Enjoy!